Bittersweet Memories
by Ph0enixS0ng
Summary: Yuki and Kyo have been best friends since childhood and eventually their friendship becomes so much more. But what happens when Akito finds out about the young lovers? Yuki, Kyo slash.
1. Prologue

**Title: **_Bittersweet Memories_

**Author:** _Phoenix Song_

**Disclaimer:** Fruits Basket, Natsuki Takaya

**Summary:** Yuki and Kyo have been best friends since childhood and eventually their friendship becomes so much more. But happens when Akito finds out about the young lovers? Yuki, Kyo slash.

**Author's Note: **This story is mainly based on the anime, not the manga. The prologue takes place when Yuki and Kyo are seven-years-old. The subsequent chapters take place before either of them had met Tohru (S01E01) and they both still live in the main house. The epilogue takes place after the last episode of the anime (S01E26). I wrote this a while ago and recently came across it again, so I decided to edit the existing chapters and finish it :) Thanks to everyone who reviews!

##

**Prologue**

##

'Who's that, oniisan [1]?' seven-year-old Yuki asked his older brother. Since it was such a nice day outside, the pair had been sitting on their parent's porch and munching on some of their mother's famous umeboshi onigiri when an unfamiliar, red-haired child had walked by with a large bag in tow.

'He's the _cat_,' Ayame replied with no small amount of disgust, although his jovially waving hand took away from the seriousness of his tone.

'The cat?' the rat echoed.

'Yes,' the elder boy said impatiently. 'He is the cat from the Zodiac. He's around your age, I think.'

'What's his name?'

'Sohma Kyo.'

'And he's the cat?'

'That's what I said,' Ayame responded, popping the last bit of a riceball into his mouth.

'Why is he alone? Doesn't he have any friends?'

'No,' the snake easily replied. 'The cat is not allowed to have friends.'

'Why not?'

'Because he is the caaaaat,' he sang. 'And Akito won't let him have any friends,' he added as an afterthought.

'That is a silly rule, oniisan.' Yuki sighed and pushed his long, grey locks out of his eyes. 'If _I_ didn't have any friends, I know that I would be very sad.'

'I suppose . . . Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be meeting your friends now?' Ayame asked his little brother, glancing at his watch.

'Yes! Thank you for reminding me, oniisan!' Yuki exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

'You're welcome . . . Be careful, okay?'

'Okay.'

'Oh, and remember, Yuki,' Ayame said just as his brother had turned to leave, 'do _not_ speak to the cat. It is not right.'

'Okay,' Yuki said. Then, after running back to give his brother a quick, departing hug, he ran towards the gardens to meet his friends.

'Bye, Yukiiiii!'

##

'You're late, Yuki,' Mikoto chided.

'Gomen [2],' he apologized, wiping the sweat from his brow. 'I lost track of the time.'

'Did you run all the way here?' Sakura asked.

'Hai [3],' Yuki replied proudly. 'I am a fast runner.'

'Let's see how fast you really are,' Takumi challenged. 'Let's play tag.'

'Yeah!' the other children agreed.

'We have to wait for the others first,' Akira reminded them.

'And you thought _I _was late,' Yuki pointed out to Mikoto; the latter shrugged.

'I wonder where they are . . .' Takumi said slowly, glancing into the distance. 'Oh! Who's he?'

'Huh?' the rat inquired, following his friend's gaze. His eyes widened when he saw Kyo again, still dragging his bag along behind him as he made his way to his destination.

'Hehe, his hair is orange,' Sakura giggled. 'I've never seen hair that colour before.'

'I think it looks more red,' Akira said. 'Anyway, do you think he would want to play with us?'

'No,' Yuki replied automatically.

'Why?' Mikoto asked. 'Do you know him, Yuki?'

'No, but he wouldn't want to play with us. He's a nobody,' the grey-hair boy responded.

'Why would you say that?'

'Oniisan told me - oniisan is always right.'

'Okay. I guess we won't ask him then,' Akira said with a shrug.

'We won't have to! Here come the others!' Sakura exclaimed excitedly.

Yuki smiled, although he was unable to shake the guilt nagging at the back of his mind. Although he was only seven-years-old, he had a strong feeling that ignoring Kyo was wrong. After all, if people ignored him, it would make him sad.

"I'm just doing as oniisan said," he reasoned with himself. "The cat isn't allowed to have friends."

'Hey!' Takumi called out to the children running towards them. 'Are you guys ready to play?'

'Yes!' they replied in unison.

'Good, because we decided that we should play tag,' Sakura informed them.

'Sounds good to me,' one of them responded.

The others nodded in agreement.

'Good,' Sakura said again.

'And we also decided that Yuki will be "it" first,' Mikoto said.

'Aw, Yuki,' Mika complained. 'But he's so fast!'

'I can't help it,' Yuki said sheepishly.

'How about if we blindfold him?' Kei suggested.

'Blindfold?' Yuki repeated.

'Yes.'

'That's a great idea!' Mikoto said.

'I think so, too,' Rei added.

'Okay, I'll do it,' Yuki said half-heartedly. 'But only if you guys do it when you're "it", too.'

'Okay!' they agreed.

'But you have to catch us first,' Rei reminded him.

'I know,' Yuki replied.

'Now . . . what are we going to use as a blindfold?' Takumi asked.

'We can use this!' Mika said, pulling off the scarf that had been holding her hair back.

'That's perfect!' Kei exclaimed. 'Here, I'll do it.' He took the scarf from his friend and tied it over the rat's eyes.

And so the game began.

Despite their efforts, however, Yuki managed to catch someone within a few minutes' time.

'Aw,' Sakura pouted, having had her arm caught.

'You're "it" now,' Yuki said triumphantly, pulling off the scarf and carefully tying it over the girl's eyes.

'I'll get you back, Yuki,' Sakura warned, giving him a moment before starting her chase.

Yet she didn't catch him.

Instead, she had caught Mika.

'My turn already?' the latter exclaimed in disbelief.

'Yes,' Sakura said, hastily helping her friend with the scarf before running away to join Takumi standing by a tree.

'Come on, Mika,' Akira taunted. 'I'm over here.'

'Ooh, I'll get you, Akira!' she called out. Just as the others had, Mika held out her arms in front of her and began to give chase.

'That was close, Mika!' Yuki commended her, having seen her hand swipe the air just inches away from Akira's back.

'Yuki? Is that you?' she asked, following the sound of his voice.

'Hai, I'm over here. Come and get me.' Having grown confident in his running ability, Yuki allowed her to wander quite close to him before he finally dashed away. 'Now I'm over here. Come and get me!' He repeated the sequence . . .

Only, this time, he wasn't so lucky.

Having had her vision obscured, Mika had not seen the stray rock in front of her and had abruptly tripped over it, causing her to stumble into Yuki. Her clumsiness and his overconfidence had cost him dearly - he transformed.

Yuki heard his friends gasp in shock from his appearance, but he could do nothing about it. He stood there helplessly.

'AHH!' Sakura screamed first, her voice reaching its highest pitch.

The other children did not take long to join in.

'Huh? What's going on?' Mika asked blindly before finally tearing off her makeshift blindfold. She glanced back at her friends; then she looked at Yuki.

'A-a-a rat!' she stuttered, staring at the grey-furred rodent before her.

'AHH!' Sakura screamed again.

The children started suddenly when they heard approaching footsteps.

'What's going on here?' Shigure demanded, haphazardly waving a pile of papers (most likely his homework) about. 'I heard a scream.'

'AHH!' Sakura screamed.

'That was not an invitation to do so again,' the teen said impatiently. 'Now, what seems to be the trouble?'

'It's Yuki,' Takumi explained. 'He . . . turned into a rat!' He hesitated as if he was uncertain that Shigure would believe him.

'I see,' the elder boy said slowly, as if contemplating his next move. 'And where is this "rat" now?' he asked.

'He's over . . . there . . .' Akira finished lamely, seeing nothing but a pile of clothing since Yuki had had the sense to bury himself in his clothes. 'I swear that he was there!'

'Me, too!' Kei agreed, punching his fist in the air.

'Relax,' Shigure said soothingly. 'Just relax for a bit.'

The children breathed deeply to calm themselves, even Sakura restrained herself from screaming again.

'Good,' the dog said, slightly more upbeat. 'Now . . . Come with me. Then you can tell me the whole story.'

'Where are we going?' Mika asked, nervously glancing behind her before she followed along with her friends.

'To Hatori's house,' Shigure explained.

'Why?'

After a moment of hesitation, he finally responded, 'It's the most comfortable.'

The children trustingly followed the teen to Hatori's house.

They may not have known what awaited them there, but the rat who was silently watching them certainly did. When he changed back a moment later, tears marred his smooth face.

'Why are you crying?' someone suddenly asked.

The nude child started in shock and half-heartedly attempted to hide his naked body.

'Because Hatori is going to erase their memories,' Yuki explained without looking up, ashamed to be found in such a predicament.

'Why?'

'Because they saw me in my rat form.'

'Oh? I only saw you change back, so I didn't know which animal you are. So you're the rat, ne [4]?'

Yuki's eyes widened. Too late had he realized that he had let loose his secret! But the damage was done. There was naught else to do but lead this stranger to Hatori as well.

'I-' he began, but stopped himself in mid-sentence when he realized who it was. 'You're Kyo!' he exclaimed.

'You know me?' the red-haired boy asked, uncertain whether to smile or frown.

The rat was about to reply when he recalled what his brother had told him not an hour before.

##

_'Oh, and remember, Yuki, do not speak to the cat. It is not right.'_

##

'Gomen, I have to go,' Yuki muttered, hastily wiping the tears from his face and reaching for his clothes.

'Oh, I see,' Kyo said disappointedly. 'That's okay. I'm used to that

by now.'

'Used to what?' the other boy asked in spite of himself.

'To people avoiding me,' the cat continued. 'You know, because they know I'm the cat.'

'I'm sorry,' he apologized, pulling his sleeves on. 'I'm very sorry. I don't really want to go, but if oniisan sees me talking to you, I'm going to get into trouble.'

'That's okay,' Kyo said again. Then, seeing Yuki struggling with his kimono, he said, 'Will you at least let me help you get dressed?'

'Huh?' Yuki glanced from the clothing to Kyo, then to the clothing once more.

"Well, it _is _hard for me to put on by myself," he reminded himself.

'Okay,' he said.

So Kyo helped him. He kneeled on the ground and helped Yuki with his kimono, pausing every now and then to fix a fold or smooth a crease out. In next to no time, the rat was properly dressed.

'Arigato [5],' he said gratefully. 'I'm just wondering, though - what are you doing around here?'

'I was moving my stuff, but the last bag I moved was already too heavy, so I had to move the rest separately. That's when I saw you and your friends.'

'Moving your stuff?'

'Yes, from my home to Shishou's,' Kyo said.

'Shishou?'

'Sohma Kazumi.'

'Ah, Sensei [6],' Yuki said in recognition. 'But why?'

'I moved in with Shishou a while ago, but it wasn't until today that I picked up the rest of my stuff from home.'

'Why did you move in with him?'

'Because I'm the cat,' Kyo said simply, although it was anything but simple. 'People always look down on me because I'm the cat, even though it's not my fault. I didn't ask to be this way. I never _wanted _to be the cat - but I am. Shishou took me in when no one else would.'

'What's so bad about being the cat?' Yuki asked. 'I don't really know anything about the cat except for what other people tell me and what I've heard from the zodiac story.'

'And what have people told you about me?' Kyo questioned in turn.

The rat shrugged.

'Nothing really - just that I'm not supposed to talk to you.'

'Then you better stop talking to me,' the cat said in resignation. 'Like you said before, you'll get into trouble if you don't.' He turned to leave.

'Wait,' Yuki said, grabbing a hold of his arm.

Kyo stopped, but he did not turn around.

'Before you go,' the grey-haired boy said hesitantly, 'can you just tell me, what's so bad about the cat? You would know better than anybody else, so please, tell me.'

Kyo unconsciously fingered the black and white bracelet around his wrist before answering.

'The cat,' he said slowly, 'is a monster.'

Silence passed between them. Kyo felt very tempted to leave, but Yuki still had a firm grip on his arm.

'_I _don't think you're a monster,' Yuki said softly.

The cat finally turned his red gaze upon him.

'What did you say?'

'I don't think you're a monster,' Yuki repeated seriously. 'Even though you found out that I'm the rat from the Juunishi, you didn't scream like the others did.'

'That's because your form is nowhere near as scary as mine,' Kyo muttered.

'Still, you didn't scream or run away. You even _helped _me!' Yuki exclaimed, glancing at his kimono pointedly. 'I don't know about any monsters that would do that. The bogeyman definitely wouldn't have helped me.'

Kyo remained silent, although a small smile appeared on his face.

'After today,' the rat said, 'oniisan probably won't let me see my other friends anymore, but if you want, _we _can be friends.'

'Friends?' Kyo echoed. 'I've never had a friend before.'

A resounding scream in the distance interrupted their conversation and Yuki felt as if his heart had broken in two.

"That's Sakura . . ." he realized.

'And I've never needed one as much as I do now,' the grey-haired boy said tearfully.

##

[1] Oniisan: Brother

[2] Gomen: Sorry

[3] Hai: Yes

[4] Ne: Eh

[5] Arigato: Thank you

[6] Sensei: Teacher


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

##

'Yuki!' fifteen-year-old Kyo called out to his cousin. 'Oy! Yuki!'

The grey-haired boy looked up from his garden to see his best friend running along the ornamented path that bordered the side of his house.

'Ohayo [1], Kyo,' Yuki said with a smile. 'What are you doing here so early in the morning?'

'I wanted to see you,' Kyo said, shrugging. 'Shishou showed me some new moves and I want to practice them on you.'

The rat's brow rose.

'Practice _on_ me?' There was a challenge in his voice. 'Do you really think that you can beat me?'

The cat shrugged again.

'Why do you think I have to practice?'

There was a brief pause . . . then the pear started laughing loudly. (**Author's Note:** Haha, get it? 'Pair' is 'pear' because the story is based on"_Fruits _Basket"!)

'Okay, let's practice then,' Yuki said, still laughing. 'Just give me a minute to put my gardening stuff away.'

As if suddenly realizing what Yuki had been doing, Kyo's nose wrinkled in disgust.

'So you still enjoy gardening, ne [2]?' he asked, uninterestedly glancing at the herbs and vegetables that his cousin had been tending to. 'Isn't that of a _woman's_ chore?'

'Shut up,' Yuki said lightly. 'Some of the world's best gardeners in the world are men, Kyo. Don't be so closed-minded.'

'And those gardening gloves of yours are _so _masculine,' the former added sardonically.

The other teen glared at him.

'It was the last pair in the store,' he defended himself lamely, hiding his leaf-patterned gardening gloves behind his back.

'I just don't see what's so fascinating about plants,' Kyo continued. 'Now, carpentry, _that's _a man's job.'

'You don't know a thing about carpentry, baka neko [3],' the rat reminded him.

'I could always learn,' he said, shrugging.

They started laughing again and the redhead threw a casual arm around the other teen's shoulders.

'I'm glad that we're friends, Yuki.' Then he pulled him into a headlock and gave him an affectionate noogie.

Yuki bowed his head low enough to press his mouth against Kyo's arm and blow a raspberry.

'Heh, that tickles,' Kyo said, releasing him.

The grey-haired teen laughed.

'What are you guys doing?' a new voice asked, sounding almost bored.

The companions glanced over to see Hatsuharu leaning casually against the wall of Yuki's house, watching them.

'Haru!' Kyo exclaimed. 'What are you doing here?'

'"What are youdoing here?"' the ox replied in a childish tone.

'Stop that!' Kyo shouted at him.

'"Stop that",' Haru mimicked.

'Eh, you're so annoying!' the cat yelled, attempting to punch the white-haired boy.

A suddenly Black Haru ducked and swung his fist towards Kyo's stomach . . . but a gloved hand abruptly caught his wrist and stopped him.

'Don't fight here,' Yuki scolded them, although in a rather unnervingly calm manner. 'I do _not_ want my garden to be ruined by a petty argument.' At the age of fifteen, he already acted like an adult.

'_He _started it!' his companions shouted at the same time, pointing at each other.

Yuki smiled softly.

'It doesn't matter who started it,' he said.

'You're right, Yuki,' Kyo agreed.

'Yeah,' Haru piped up. 'It matters who _finishes _it,' he added with a dark smile.

The rat sighed.

'You still act like children,' he said.

'No, we don't!' they yelled in unison.

The third teen sighed again.

'You are both involved in martial arts, ne?' he inquired, although he obviously already knew the answer.

'So are you. What's your point?' Kyo asked.

'So . . . one of the things that you learn about is the power within yourself-'

'I'll show you the power within myself anytime,' Haru said with a suggestive wink, but Yuki ignored him and continued.

'-the power to control. Not _others_, because controlling others would be too easy. You learn about control over _yourself. _Realizing that kind of self-constraint can be very powerful indeed,' he said wisely.

Kyo and Haru stared at him, not knowing what to say.

'You both have very hot tempers,' the rat continued frankly. 'Kyo, you have the tendency to jump to conclusions and overreact.'

'Ha!' Haru laughed.

Kyo growled at him, although he made no physical move towards his younger cousin, as if to prove Yuki wrong.

'Don't even get me started on you, Haru,' Yuki said.

Embarrassed, the ox stopped laughing, earning a smug look from the redhead.

'You both have great power,' the rat said, 'but you need to learn to control it. One of the rules you should follow when learning martial arts is to know your own strength and _not _abuse it.' He pulled off his soiled gardening gloves, signalling the end of his little speech.

'Wow, Yuki. You almost sounded like Shishou for a minute there,' Kyo murmured.

'For once, I agree with the fire engine,' Hatsuharu said offhandedly, turning White again.

'Why, you little-'

'Kyo!'

The cat hesitantly glanced at his elder cousin.

'Sorry,' he muttered to Yuki. Like hell he was going to apologize to the damn ox, too.

Yuki smiled.

'Now, Kyo . . . wasn't there a new move that you wanted to show me?'

##

For the umpteenth time in a row, Kyo found himself lying on his back and staring up at his cousin's triumphant face. Nearby, Haru smirked with amusement.

'So that was . . . what? Five times now?' Yuki asked, holding his hand out to the redhead.

The latter took his hand and pulled himself up to his feet.

'Yeah,' he murmured sheepishly. 'You're a fast learner, kuso nezumi [4].'

Yuki smiled gently.

'You were a wonderful teacher.'

A shock went through Kyo's chest when he saw the rat's smiling face. That smile - that was the smile that Yuki reserved only for him.

_Thump. Thump._

'Kyo?'

Blinking away his thoughts, the cat refocused his gaze on his cousin.

'Sorry,' he mumbled. 'I just lost myself for a minute there.'

'That's fine,' Yuki said patiently. Then, 'Oy, Haru, do you want a turn at it?'

The ox started when his name was called; he seemed to think that he had been forgotten.

'That's all right,' he said calmly. 'After seeing how you've treated Kyo, I don't think I want to try.'

'Really? I've never known you to turn down a challenge,' Kyo said.

'I will if it is against my Yuki,' Haru said, still in the same mellow tone.

'Have it your way.' The redhead shrugged, ignoring the endearment. 'Do you want to try again, Yuki? I will _definitely _beat you this time.'

'You wish, baka neko,' Yuki said lightheartedly, getting into his defensive stance.

'Oy, Yukiiiii!' someone called out.

The teens hesitantly turned towards the new arrival, although it was apparent who it was.

'Ayame,' Kyo grumbled, glaring at the long-haired man.

'Kyo-kunnnnn!' Ayame exclaimed in his loud, overly-happy manner. 'It's so refreshing to see you again so soon! It's such a pleasant surprise! But I am sorry - I am not here to see you today!' He attempted to put on a sad face, but for someone who is always in a good mood (except for those rare, rare times when he was serious), that was a very difficult task to do. 'I am here to see my dear brother Yukiiiii!'

'What do you want?' Yuki asked bitterly. Since that fateful day many years ago when Ayame told Yuki not to befriend Kyo because he was the cat, Yuki has come to distrust his elder brother. Even as a child, he felt that he had a better grasp of what was right and what was wrong than the snake did.

Ayame suddenly became very serious . . . or as serious as he could become.

'Akito-san wants to see you,' he said to the rat.

'Why?'

The snake thought about it for a moment.

'I don't knowwwww,' he said, smiling.

The other three sweatdropped with exasperation.

'Fine, tell her that I'll see her later,' Yuki said, turning his attention back to his cousins.

'No can do, Yuki,' Ayame said. 'Akito-san says that he wants to see you _now_.'

'Now?'

'Now,' Ayame repeated.

'Fine,' the rat said again. 'I'll go.' He turned to Kyo. 'Sorry, it looks like we'll have to continue this another time.'

'Looks like it,' Kyo said with a shrug. 'Don't worry about it.'

'Yeah,' Yuki said distractedly. 'Ja ne [5], Kyo, Haru.'

'Yeah,' Haru replied.

'Ja ne.' Once Yuki had gone, Kyo immediately turned on the snake. 'So what's the _real_ reason that Akito wants to see Yuki?' he demanded. 'Don't tell me you don't know - I _know_ that you do!'

'Ah, well, this and that,' Ayame said with a shrug. 'You know how it is.'

Remembering what Yuki had said about he and Haru having hot tempers (and despising the fact that he had something in common with the damn ox), Kyo tried his best to hold in his anger.

'Tell me,' he said with forced calm.

'Ah, well . . .' Ayame said again. 'You know how Akito-san is. She likes to have Yuki near her, especially since Yuki is her favourite and all.'

'Favourite? I thought that Akito hated him,' Kyo muttered, recalling all those times that Yuki had come to him after those "meetings" with Akito. The rat's state was not a pleasant sight more often than not; he was often covered in cuts, bruises, and various other wounds after his encounters with Akito.

'Akito-san doesn't hate Yuki, you silly feline,' Ayame said, waving his hand about. 'She's just jealous of him, I think.'

'Jealous?'

'Ah, well . . .'

Kyo rolled his eyes.

'Akito-san has always been frail and sick, but Yuki . . . Yuki has always been good at sports and everything,' Ayame said. 'The best, really. It makes me so proud to call him my brotherrrrr!'

Having had enough, Kyo abruptly slapped Ayame over the head.

'Ouch! That hurt, Kyo-kunnnnn!' the snake whined. 'What'll my dear little brother do when he finds out how you have been treating me?'

The cat sighed.

'Thank me?' he suggested. 'When will you understand that Yuki doesn't care what you think?'

A look of pain flashed across Ayame's face, but it was soon replaced by his usual gleeful expression.

'No, no, you are very much mistaken, my dear Kyo-kun! Yuki loves me! I'm his oniiiiisan!'

'In his mind, you are no brother of his.'

'Ah, but _you _can't be his brother. If you were, how else would you deal with your . . . feelings?' he added with a wink.

But Kyo wasn't listening. Indeed, he had already turned away.

'Snakes eat rats, ne?' he said, his back turned towards the man. 'So stay away from Yuki . . .' He started to walk away. '. . . or else.'

##

Yuki anxiously stood outside of the door to Akito's room, his hand braced on the door frame. He knew what awaited him inside - he was as certain about that as he was certain about the sun rising . . . He was equally certain about the state he would leave that room in.

'Yuki,' he heard a voice call softly from inside the room.

The rat started; sweat began to form on his forehead.

'Come in, Yuki,' Akito called in her frail voice. 'I can see your silhouette in the doorway - don't pretend that you're not there.'

Gritting his teeth, Yuki forced himself to walk into the room. After all, it would be futile to avoid the inevitable.

'Good afternoon, Yuki,' Akito said, pulling her robe up over her thin shoulders.

'Akito,' Yuki said briskly, sliding the door shut behind him.

'Have a seat, Yuki, and tell me all about your day.'

Yuki swallowed nervously and kneeled down on the mat before Akito.

'There is really nothing to tell,' he said with a bowed head.

'Not from what I have heard,' Akito said, slowly walking towards the rat.

Yuki tensed further with each step that the master of the Sohmas took.

'Do not lie to me, Yuki,' said the latter threateningly. 'I know about all the time that you spend with Kyo-kun.'

Yuki lowered his head even more.

'I don't like when you do that, Yuki, when you spend so much of your time with that _cat_!'

The rat felt a pang of anger.

Akito continued, 'You do not come visit me half as much as you do _it_. It is the cat - it doesn't deserve such pity.'

'I do _not_ spend time with Kyo out of pity!' Yuki snapped, glaring up at Akito. 'He's my friend!'

'The cat does not deserve friends,' the violet-haired teen said, still in her deathly calm voice. 'It is a monster.' Akito placed a gentle hand on Yuki's shoulder. 'But you are no monster, are you, Yuki?'

Yuki did not reply.

'I did not think so . . . so you shouldn't be spending so much time with him.' Akito's hand drifted to the other teen's face, where it softly cupped the smooth skin. 'You're too good for it, Yuki. You're too good for that . . . monster.' The hand now made its way to Yuki's hair, where it suddenly tightened into a painful grip.

'Ah!' Yuki cried out, trying to pry the hand away, but it would not dislodge from his hair. The only way he could free himself would be to actually harm Akito, which would get him into a lot more trouble with the head of the family. 'Akito!' he said sharply.

'You are _not to _see that monster again, you hear me, Yuki?' Akito said, her volume suddenly increasing with her anger. 'You are mine! And I will not share what's mine with the _cat_!'

'I will see him if I want to!' Yuki said boldly. 'Who are you to decide what I can and cannot do?'

Suddenly, Akito backhanded him with as much force as her thin body could muster. Yuki crumbled to the ground with a large bruise on his cheek, a prelude for what was to come.

'I am the head of this family. You _will _obey me. What must I do to prevent you from seeing him again?' Akito asked herself, calm once more.

'You can try what you'd like,' Yuki said, trying to keep the tremor from his voice. 'But _nothing _you do is going to stop me from seeing Kyo!'

'Really?' And Akito abruptly kicked Yuki with the heel of her foot.

'ARGH!' the rat cried out, rolling over onto his stomach.

'Why is this so important to you, Yuki?' This time, Akito pressed her knee into the small of Yuki's back, causing the rat to cry out once more. 'Why is _it _so important to you?' She pressed her knee in deeper. 'Tell me, Yuki!' she demanded, her voice following a crescendo. 'Why do you care for _it _more than you care for me? WHY?'

'Because I don't love you!'

##

It was now two o'clock in the morning and Kyo still had not heard anything from Yuki, who _always _called him after "visiting" with Akito. He was beginning to get worried, for the rat had been missing for almost eight hours now, which was much longer than usual. The cat felt so helpless. There was_ nothing_ he could do . . . except wait . . . The redhead anxiously glanced out of the window of his bedroom, straining his eyes for any sign of his friend.

'Yuki,' he murmured, leaning his head against the window frame. 'Where are you?'

Suddenly, he spotted a shadow in the distance. The shadow betrayed a hunched figure with tattered clothing limping towards him. At first glance, it almost looked like Kyo did when he had turned into his monster form. The redhead shuddered at the connection, but then abruptly became alert when the figure walked underneath one of the rare streetlamps that dotted the Sohma family grounds.

'If can't be . . .' Kyo whipped open his bedroom door and ran out of the house as fast as his legs could carry him. He made enough noise to wake up a hoard of elephants or, in this case, Kazuma, but he did not care. He had only one thought on his mind and that was to reach the teen outside before anyone else did. 'Yuki!' he called out. 'Yuki!'

The rat looked up in recognition of the voice, but it looked as if he had difficulty focusing his gaze on his cousin.

'Ky-ky . . . o . . .' he sighed, his legs collapsing; he finally gave in to unconsciousness.

'Yuki!' Kyo cried out desperately, catching the grey-haired teen before he hit the ground. 'Yuki! Yuki!'

'Kyo?' Kazuma asked, appearing in the doorway. 'What's going on?' He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

'It's Yuki, Shishou! He needs help! Come quickly!'

##

[1] Ohayo: Good morning

[2] Ne: Eh

[3] Baka neko: Stupid cat

[4] Kuso nezumi: Damn rat

[5] Ja ne: See you


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two **

##

'Kyo . . .' Yuki muttered in his sleep. 'Kyo . . .'

'He's burning up,' Kyo said, wiping the sweat from Yuki's brow with a damp cloth.

'He may have gotten an infection from one of his wounds,' Kazuma said. 'And he's weak. He will probably transform into his Juunishi form soon.'

They were in Kyo's bedroom, where they had laid Yuki on the futon so that they could tend to his wounds. Kazuma had already treated and wrapped the wounds, so there was nothing else they could do but wait for Yuki to wake up and tell them what happened.

"But we already know what happened," Kyo thought. He dipped the cloth into a bowl of cold water before replacing it on Yuki's head. "We just don't want to admit it. I'll _kill _Akito for what she did! Out of the entire zodiac, Yuki is the only one who cares about me. I don't want to lose him . . . I _can't _lose him."

'I'm going to the kitchen to make some herbal tea for Yuki,' Kazuma said, getting to his feet. 'When he wakes up, try to get him to drink it - it will help to ease the pain.'

Kyo nodded, not taking his eyes off his friend.

'Yuki,' he whispered, once Kazuma had left, 'hold on . . .'

'Kyo,' Yuki weakly said again, but this time, he raised his arm off the bed, which appeared to take a lot of effort. 'Kyo . . .'

'Yes?' Kyo asked. 'What is it, Yuki? What do you want?'

The arm dropped and Yuki's hand landed on Kyo's knee.

Kyo blushed.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

'Yuki? What-?'

Then Yuki transformed.

##

The next morning, Kyo woke up to see the sunlight filtering in through the half-open window. Blinking his eyes, he realized that he was still in his bedroom, lying beside the sleeping rat. He had fallen asleep the night before with his body draped wearily over the futon and his head resting on his arms. The redhead was extremely worried about his cousin, who had not reverted back to his human form since his transformation, but he had been too tired the night before to stay up any longer.

Kyo glanced at his pillow, where Yuki was resting peacefully.

"His body must be too weak," the former thought. "That's why he hasn't transformed back yet." He contemplated this for a moment, unable to think of any other reasons why Yuki was still in his Juunishi form.

'I wonder if this has happened before. I had better ask Shishou about this,' he said to no one in particular.

Kyo got to his feet and made his way to Kazuma's bedroom, taking one last look at the sleeping rat before he turned the corner.

'Shishou?' he called, gently knocking on the door.

'You may enter, Kyo.'

He was not surprised to hear a reply, even this early in the morning. Perhaps it had been because of Kyo's cat-like habits as a child that Kazuma was also an early riser. Kyo slid the door open and stepped inside.

'Good morning, Kyo,' Kazuma said warmly. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, appearing to have just finished his meditation exercises for the morning. 'How is Yuki?'

'He transformed last night,' Kyo explained.

The other nodded.

'I expected that to happen. Go on.'

'Well . . . he hasn't transformed back yet and it's been hours! Has this ever happened to him before?'

Kazuma looked slightly troubled.

'To my knowledge, only once.'

Kyo's ears perked up in interested.

'When? Where?'

'At the main house.' Kazuma sighed softly. 'When he was still a child, Yuki transformed in front of his friends.'

Something stirred within the cat . . . a memory . . .

'Hatori was forced to erase their memories - all of them, all the children - and Yuki was told that he could never see them again.' Kazuma sighed softly. 'He cried himself to sleep in Hatori's arms. His body weakened . . . his mind weakened . . . That night, he transformed . . . and he didn't change back.'

'That day . . .' Kyo said slowly, carefully, 'Shishou, was that the day I met Yuki?'

Kazuma closed his eyes and nodded.

'Could he have been like that because he met me? Because I'm the cat?' the childish questions escaped the redhead's lips before he could stop them.

The other Sohma half-smiled.

'No, Kyo,' he said confidently. 'I am certain that it wasn't your fault.'

'But then . . . I couldn't prevent it either,' Kyo said with frustration, kicking a chair that was at the side of the room. 'When he was upset, I couldn't do anything to help him.'

'Kyo,' Kazuma said patiently. 'You were a child yourself back then. You couldn't have known that would happen, that he would be so depressed he'd transform for so long.'

'I guess . . . and even if I knew it _could _happen, I wouldn't have known how to reverse the effect . . . Besides, he seemed . . . happy . . . to meet me. He didn't seem upset.'

Kazuma stood up and placed his hand on the cat's shoulder.

'He _was_ happy when he met you,' he said with the comforting tone. 'But you have to remember he met you _before_ the decision was made that he was never to see his friends again.'

Kyo did not look convinced.

'And you are much closer to him now that you were back then,' Kazuma continued, 'so the important thing is that you're here for him _now_. There is no point dwelling on past regrets.'

The cat slowly nodded, thoughtful.

'Is there any way to help him?' he asked tentatively, as if hesitant to hear the other's reply. 'Is there anything I can do to help him?'

'I don't know,' Kazuma admitted. 'But it might just be enough that you're by his side.'

Kyo smiled embraced his master before making his way back to his room.

'Thanks,' he said. He was already halfway out the door when he turned around again and asked, 'How did he transform back to his human form last time? What changed?'

Kazuma smiled softly.

'Why don't you ask Yuki?'

##

The rat wearily opened his eyes; a draft had entered the room through the door. He tried to pull the blankets up higher, but they were much too heavy for him to lift.

"What the-?"

Yuki opened his eyes completely and was surprised to see that he was lying on a monstrously sized futon. Everything about the room looked huge - the pillow, the desk, the chair, the open door . . . It was not a shock he had reverted to his zodiac form as that was to be expected after the beating he received. What did shock him, however, was that he was alone in the room. He anxiously jumped to his feet, feeling a sharp pain in his side as he did so.

'Kyo?' he inquired uncertainly. 'Kyo!' he said again, more loudly this time, but his voice hardly carried out of the room, small as he was. 'Kyo! Kyo!'

'Yuki,' Kyo called, running into the room; his footsteps sounded thunderous in the rat's tiny ears. 'What's wrong? Are you okay?'

Yuki ran up to his friend's foot and embraced his ankle.

'Where were you?' he asked.

The cat blushed slightly.

'I had to talk to Shishou about something.' He kneeled on the ground - careful not to step on the rat - and looked the latter in the eye as best as he could with the substantial height difference. 'How are you feeling?' he asked worriedly. 'Any better?'

'A bit better, now that you're here,' Yuki admitted, 'but still weak from what Aki-' He froze in mid-sentence.

'From what happened,' Kyo finished instead.

Yuki nodded.

'But . . . you're still in rat form,' the cat said softly. 'This has happened before.' It was not a question.

The grey-haired teen nodded again.

'How did you change back last time, Yuki? What was different?'

'I don't know,' Yuki replied.

'Take your time. Try to remember,' Kyo said with a patience that was uncharacteristic of him. Then he chuckled half-heartedly. 'You can't stay like this forever, can you?'

'No, I can't,' Yuki agreed. He climbed onto the futon and sat there, closing his eyes . . . remembering . . .

##

_He was a child . . . He had just transformed in front of his friends. Some of them were Sohmas and some of them were not, but none of them had known his secret, none had been given the right to. It had scared them, as it should have. After all, it was not "normal" for young boys to turn into rats._

_And Yuki had been heartbroken._

_'Hatori, please,' he begged. 'Please spare their memories.'_

_'I'm sorry, Yuki,' the other Sohma replied regretfully. 'It is already done.'_

_'All of them?'_

_'Yes, all of them. I'm sorry,' he said again. 'Their memories are gone now and I cannot return them.' _

_'They were my only friends,' Yuki said softly, tears rolling down his smooth, round cheeks. 'You took away my only friends.'_

_'I did what I had to do,' Hatori said, not unkindly. 'They cannot know the secret.'_

_'Why not?' Yuki asked, burying himself in his cousin's chest. 'Why can't they?'_

_'It's not for us to decide,' the dragon said, not answering the second question. 'It's not just our secret to share, Yuki - the others are involved too.' He gently stroked the child's hair, comforting him. 'You'll understand when you're older.'_

_'Understand that it's okay to erase people's memories?' he asked, anger flaring up inside him._

_Hatori flinched as if had been struck, but it did not take him long to recover._

_'You'll understand that it's okay to do what we must do . . . to keep our ability a secret.'_

_'Our curse, you mean.'_

_'Yes,' Hatori said, wrapping his arms around his cousin. 'Our curse.'_

_Yuki continued to cry - tears upon tears streaming out of his eyes. _

_'Why me?' he asked between sobs. 'Why _us_, Hatori?'_

_'Because we are Sohmas,' Hatori said simply. 'We hold a privileged place in this world. We are powerful and wealthy . . . but some of us are also cursed.'_

##

_When had he fallen asleep? Yuki's eyes slowly blinked open and he turned over, rolling into a pillow over twenty times his size. He suddenly realized what had woken him - hushed voices coming from the corridor beyond. He wearily recognized Hatori's voice; he was speaking to Ayame._

_'He should stay here for a while,' Hatori said. 'Don't let anyone know why he's here.'_

_'Okay,' Ayame said. 'But why hasn't he changed back yet?'_

_'His mind's been broken. It may take him some time to recover, but when he does, he should return back to his human form.'_

_'Uh-huh,' the snake said in understanding. 'Does Akito-san know he's here?' _

_'No,' Hatori said. 'And don't tell her unless she asks.'_

_Yuki heard some movements from the hallway. Then the door slid open. He immediately closed his eyes, not wishing to speak to anyone at the moment._

_'He'll be fine,' Hatori said. 'He's just a little shaken up. After all, he's still only a child. He'll be able to deal with these situations better when he grows up.' There was a pause, then, 'Maybe we should move him next to the window to get some fresh air.'_

_'But not too close,' Ayame said. 'Or else he might fall out.' He chuckled half-heartedly. 'It's so hard to keep track of him when he's this small.'_

_Hatori coughed softly._

_'Come on, you know what I mean, Tori,' Ayame said apologetically, although there was still a hint of laughter in his tone. 'At least if you're in your Zodiac form, we can safely assume - or at least _hope _- you'll be in water of some sort. But Yuki can roam wherever he pleases! Imagine if he hid in a mouse hole? I'd never be able to get in there! But, actually, if he transformed back to his human form, he probably wouldn't be able to get out, so we'd both be in a fix.'_

_Apparently, Hatori had long stopped listening to Ayame's blabbing. He carefully slid his hands under Yuki's still form and rested his body near the windowsill, on top of a small pillow._

_'Gure and I tried that once with a dog house,' Ayame was saying. 'We got out well enough after we had changed back to our human forms, obviously, but it was really, really hard, especially with all those splinters! Oh, that reminds me of another time when - .'_

_Hatori sighed and walked out the room; Ayame followed at his heels, still talking._

_'That was a laugh, like-'_

_Yuki waited until he heard the door slide shut before he opened his eyes once more. He was in Hatori's office, beside a window that overlooked the courtyard. _

_"What happened to me?" he wondered, looking at his rodent hands. _

_The answer immediately came to him._

_"Hatori said that my mind's been 'broken', that's why I haven't changed back yet . . . but what does that mean, 'broken'? How can a mind by broken?" _

_While contemplating this, his thoughts wandered to his friends._

_Takumi . . . Sakura . . . and the others . . . None of them would be able to recognize him now, let alone remember his secret. He lost them, all of them, all of his friends . . . He felt like he did when he was with Akito - a puppet, a loner . . . Not allowed to make contact with the other Juunishi members. He didn't even know what they all looked like or was only vaguely able to recognize them from the brief glimpses he had of them during the New Year's banquet for the twelve cursed Sohmas - and their God._

_Sadly, he sat up and crawled toward the window. He could see some of them in the distance . . . Hatsuharu - the ox - and Rin - the horse - chasing each other around the lawn; Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure sitting in the shade of a nearby tree, perhaps discussing more random memories; Ritsu sitting alone on the porch in front of his house, sketching something on a piece of paper . . . And here he was, alone, just watching, unable to join . . ._

_"Hang on a minute."_

_Supporting himself on his tiny hands, Yuki pressed his face closer to the glass and tried to look down to the ground immediately below his window. He thought he had seen a flash of familiar, red hair._

_'Kyo . . . ?' he whispered uncertainly. _

_It _was _him! He was sitting with his back against the house, but every now and then he would crane his neck around to glance up at the window with an anxious expression on his face._

_Yuki smiled._

_"Is he worried about me?" the rat wondered. "Is that why he's here? But . . . he just met me."_

_It seemed as if everyone else had forgotten about him, but apparently there _was _someone who cared, someone who still remembered him. Kyo was standing there, right _there_, in front of him._

_'Kyo . . .'_

_Yuki transformed._

##

In the present, Yuki changed back to his human form once more with a _poing_.

Kyo jumped a little in surprise, but he quickly recovered himself.

'That didn't take too long,' he said, mildly impressed. He gallantly turned away as his friend reached for his clothes and began to pull them on . . . but the cat couldn't help but glance back a few times to admire the slight muscles rippling across Yuki's back as he moved or the way his slim legs slipped into his jeans, or-

'Kyo?' Yuki inquired, turning around to talk to him; he was still bare-chested.

Kyo suddenly turned away again, his ears burning.

'Are you all right?' the rat asked. 'You have a weird look on your face.'

'I'm fine,' the redhead insisted, although his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

'You - You're bleeding again,' Kyo stuttered, indicating Yuki's wounded side, 'I'll . . . uh . . . go get something for you.' And he suddenly dashed out the door.

Not really knowing where to go first, Kyo made his way downstairs to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, which he downed in a few gulps. His heart was still beating strong.

_Thump. Thump._

"What's wrong with me?"

##

Meanwhile, upstairs, Yuki was still looking at the open doorway with a shocked expression on his face.

"Why had he suddenly run out like that?" he wondered.

Unsure of how long he would have to wait for Kyo to return, the rat picked up his torn, bloody shirt from the night before and inspected it. He was distracted, however, as he was still thinking about his cousin's strange behaviour.

"Kyo had a rather cute look on his face though," he thought with a smile. "He looked so embarrassed for some reason, but I don't understand why. He's seen my body when we go swimming or when I've transformed back to my human form . . . like now. And I've seen him too."

Kyo . . . His skin was much more tanned than Yuki's from hours spent out in the sun. His arms were slightly bigger and more defined than the rat's, although the latter was considerably stronger. And his eyes . . . his red eyes always appeared to be blazing with fury, but Yuki knew that that was not always the case - sometimes they were wet with tears or warm with emotion . . .

_Thump. Thump._

He looked around Kyo's bedroom. The furniture was rather minimal, consisting of a futon, desk, chair, and bookcase. The room was neat and clean with only a few pieces of clothing on the floor, peeking out of the closet. Only a couple of pictures decorated the room. One was a photograph of Kyo and Kazuma that had been framed and placed with care at the corner of Kyo's desk. Beside it was a more recent photo of Kyo, except it was Yuki who posed with him this time. The two boys had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders and were laughing in a carefree way; they had been fourteen at the time, Yuki remembered.

Yuki picked up the first picture and looked at it more closely. Kyo could not have been older than 8-years-old. Kazuma's arms were wrapped around him in a fatherly fashion and both of them had wide smiles on their faces. The rat felt his heart ache with jealousy. He had never loved anyone that much, nor had anyone loved him that much. His parents were happy that he was born . . . because he was the rat, the one closest to God . . . but they did not love him, not as most parents loved their children.

Yuki thought of his dear friend, how Kyo was always there for him. Friendship was a type of love, was it not?

Yes, Kyo loved him.

And he loved Kyo.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

However, he had never told him that; neither of them had ever voiced it aloud. What if Yuki said, "I love you," and Kyo took it to mean something different, thought that the rat loved him more than just a friend.

"Even so, is that so wrong?" Yuki wondered.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

##

Yuki breathed sigh of relief when Kyo finally returned, carrying Kazuma's first aid kit. His master always kept the kit well stocked as injuries were a common occurrence at the dojo, unsurprisingly.

'Are you all right?' the rat asked, anxiously wringing his ruined shirt in his hands. 'You left in such a hurry.'

'Don't worry about me,' Kyo said distractedly. He sat on the floor next to the futon and carefully set the kit down beside him. 'Come here,' he said to his friend, holding out his hand. 'I need to redress your wounds.'

Yuki only hesitated for a moment before placing his hand in Kyo's and allowing the cat to help him lie down on the futon, minimizing the irritation on his wounds.

'Lie down,' Kyo said in the gentle tone he reserved only for Kazuma and Yuki.

The latter complied, settling his back against the plush pillow. He could not help but notice that the other teen seemed hesitant to release his hand as he reached over to pull a small jar out of the kit. He opened it to reveal a bitter smelling salve; Yuki wrinkled his nose in disgust.

'I can't believe this happened again,' Kyo muttered under his breath as he applied the thick balm to Yuki's wounds, making the other teen wince despite his efforts not to react. 'I should _kill _Akito for what she did to you,' he added darkly as he taped a patch bandage over the treated injuries. 'For what she _keeps _doing to you,' he corrected himself.

'Don't,' Yuki said softly. 'You shouldn't.' He placed his hand over Kyo's.

The redhead immediately ceased his movements; his gaze locked on their clasped hands. He did not even seem to hear what his companion was saying.

'You're going to get the ointment all over your hands,' he said awkwardly, his clean hand fiddling with the edge of the futon.

Yuki smiled gently.

'I don't care,' he said as he entwined their fingers.

_Thump. Thump._

'Thank you, Kyo,' he said. 'I don't know what I would do without you.'

Kyo's ears burned with embarrassment.

'It's nothing,' he said with a shrug.

'No, I mean it,' Yuki insisted. 'You're always there for me. You're a good friend.'

"But sometimes I wish you were more," he thought helplessly.

Kyo curled his fingers over Yuki's, bringing their hands closer together.

'I can't help but... care for you, Yuki,' he said, nervously chewing his bottom lip; Yuki heard the slight pause and wondered what Kyo had really wanted to say. 'You're everything to me. I can't lose you,' he said, turning away.

Yuki tactfully pretended not to see Kyo gritting his teeth to hold back his emotions. He reached for Kyo's clean hand and pressed the slack palm to his face. He breathed in the cat's rich scent, hardly daring to believe his own boldness.

Kyo's hand suddenly stiffened against his face.

Yuki was about to let go with a sheepish apology when he realized that the tanned fingers were tenderly stroking his cheek. Yuki allowed his eyes to fall shut as he relished the feeling of the one he loved acting as if he loved him back.

God, he wished it was enough, but his heart yearned for more. It was then that he realized that this was much more than friendship. What he had with Kyo was real, something that other people only dreamed of having. But was he ready to take that next step? More importantly, was Kyo?

His eyes fluttered open in surprise when he felt something warm brush up against his lips. Kyo was kissing him! The pressure of his companion's lips varied from hard to soft, as if the cat longed to do so much more - to show his true passion - but restrained himself due to Yuki's weakened state.

Kyo's hand slid behind the rat's head and he gently applied some pressure, coaxing Yuki to open his mouth.

Yuki willingly complied and he felt Kyo's hot tongue slide into his mouth to explore the unfamiliar cavern. He moaned, unconsciously tightening his grip on the redhead's other hand. His body arched in response to the welcome intimacy, aching to be closer to the one he loved.

Kyo seemed to notice this reaction for he smiled against Yuki's moist lips. He leaned over the other teen's body, trying to get closer to Yuki without putting any pressure on his injuries.

Yuki could feel the heat coming from Kyo's body and his own body heated up in response. His free hand gripped the back of Kyo's shirt, trying to draw the other teen even closer.

'Wait,' Kyo murmured hotly against his lips. 'I don't want to hurt you.'

'I'm feeling better than I have in years,' Yuki replied honestly, but his wounds ached in protest and he knew that they could not carry on like this for much longer.

Kyo held Yuki's face between his hands and tenderly kissed him on the forehead. Then he sat back on his heels, holding the rat's hands in his own, as if to reassure Yuki that he was not rejecting him.

Yuki tried to restrain himself from beaming when he saw how flushed Kyo's face had become; his lips too were showing signs of their intimacy. Instead, he adopted an expression of peaceful pleasure so as not to frighten the other teen with the extent of his emotions. Their eyes met and there was a moment of unspoken understanding between them.

'I - I didn't know you felt the same way,' Kyo admitted.

'I think it's been happening for years,' Yuki said, carefully choosing his words, 'but it was only recently that I realized it . . . that I fully appreciated it . . .'

A wide grin split Kyo's face and he leaned in to kiss the rat once more.

'I love you, my prince,' he said, his hot breath sweeping over Yuki's slightly swollen lips.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

'I love you too,' Yuki said.

'I can't help but love you,' Kyo added, correcting his earlier modification. He slowly lowered himself to the futon, his gaze never parting from his companion's. He settled himself on his side and Yuki mirrored him so that they were facing each other. Kyo tenderly brushed Yuki's bare back, careful to avoid his wounds.

Yuki absentmindedly fingered Kyo's beaded bracelet. He had never seen his cousin without it and had asked him many times why that was. Each time, Kyo only said that it was the cat's secret - his burden to carry alone. It was the only secret he had never shared with Yuki.

'You do not discriminate against me because I'm the cat,' Kyo said softly, returning the other teen back to the present.

'You are there for me when I have no one else to turn to,' Yuki said in return as he brushed the red hair out of Kyo's eyes. He allowed his hand to linger for a moment, his thumb tracing patterns on the other's cheek.

'You accept me for who I am.'

'You complete me.'

'I'm nothing without you . . .' they finished together.

##

Later on in the day, while Yuki was napping, Kyo quietly slipped out of the house to look for his master. He was relieved to find Kazuma alone, practicing some moves in the dojo.

'Shishou,' he called from the doorway, hesitant to disturb his master.

Kazuma immediately stopped what he was doing and focused his attention on his foster son.

'Let's talk outside,' Kazuma said when he recognized the worried expression on Kyo's face.

Kyo settled himself on the wooden steps in front of the dojo and waited for Kazuma to join him before he began to speak.

'Does anyone know that Yuki is here?' he asked anxiously.

'No one, as far as I know,' Kazuma replied, brushing the sweat from his forehead. 'I think it would be best if he stays with us for a while,' he added.

Kyo nodded in agreement.

'He will heal faster if he is undisturbed.'

'I will let his parents know,' Kazuma continued, but Kyo suddenly snapped to attention.

'No!' he said firmly. 'We can't let anyone know that he's here. I don't want Akito to be able to summon him again.'

Kazuma sighed.

'You cannot protect him here forever, Kyo,' he said reasonably, but patiently.

'I know, Shishou,' the cat said, fiddling with his bracelet in an effort to avoid his master's eyes, 'but I have to do what I can.'

'Akito will find out sooner or later.'

'I know,' Kyo said again, avoiding his gaze.

'Will you be able to take care of him on your own?" Kazuma asked seriously.

'I think so,' Kyo said, remembering that Kazuma would be leaving in a few days. His master had plans to go to the mountains for private training and meditation; he had been preparing for this trip for weeks and Kyo loathed preventing him from going.

'You care about him?' Kazuma asked, but it was not really a question.

'Hai, I do. I care about him more than anyone . . . No offense, Shishou,' he added with a hint of a smile.

'I understand,' Kazuma said - and he really did seem to read between the lines, Kyo thought. 'You deserve each other,' his master added, confirming his suspicions.

Kyo did not know what to say now that Kazuma knew about the deep feelings he had for his cousin, however distant their blood relationship was. He curled his knees up against his chest and embraced them with his arms, staring off into the distance..

'I just hope Akito sees things the same way.'

Kyo was so lost in thought that he did not know which one of them had said that.

##

'Yuki, Yuki,' Kyo called softly. He kneeled next to the futon, gently trying to shake the rat awake.

Yuki wearily turned over, but he did not wake up.

'Yuki, Yuki!' Kyo said again, more impatiently this time.

Suddenly, Yuki's hand sliced through the air and hit Kyo squarely in the nose.

'Argh!' he cried out angrily, jumping to his feet. He immediately assessed the state of his nose with his hands. 'Kuso nezumi!'

'That's what you get when you wake me up, baka neko,' Yuki said with a yawn once he assessed that Kyo was not actually hurt.

'Well, it's good to know your arm has its strength back,' the cat said sarcastically. His arms dropped to his side once he verified that his nose was not broken or bleeding. 'How are you feeling?' he asked, more seriously this time.

'A bit better, I think,' Yuki replied. The curse, for all its burdens and hardships, did give the Juunishi the fortune of quick healing. It was one of the few - if not the only - benefits they realized.

'That's a good start,' the redhead said. 'Shishou brought up some food for us if you're hungry,' he indicated the tray on his desk. 'You should get up now anyway - otherwise, you won't be able to sleep later tonight.'

'Have you been sitting here this entire time?' Yuki wondered, rubbing his tired eyes.

'No, not exactly,' Kyo said slowly. 'I left for a while to talk to Shishou, but then I came straight back here.' He held up a book. 'I've been reading - studying, actually - to pass the time since school starts in a few days.'

Yuki smiled, shaking his head.

'I'm not an invalid, Kyo,' he said, though he could not help but feel slightly pleased that his cousin had been so worried about him. 'I don't need you to protect me all the time.'

'Just after your meetings with Akito,' Kyo said darkly, then immediately wished he could take back his words for a shadow passed across the rat's face. 'Anyway, I'm glad you're finally awake,' he said, stroking Yuki's hand. 'I've been waiting for you to wake up for hours,'

'This "meeting" was worse than usual,' Yuki said; his hands were shaking violently and tears welled up in his eyes.

Kyo pressed Yuki's hands between his own in an effort to ease the shaking. He had certainly noticed that Yuki's injuries were severe, but was unsure how he would be able to approach that topic with his companion. The only upside was that she did not usually break any of his bones if she could help it - she liked to play with her things, but did not want them broken.

'What happened?' he asked, now that the conversation was open.

'She - she beat me,' Yuki replied, for lack of a better word, 'and locked me in _that room _again.' Thick tears ran down the side of his bruised face and into his hair.

Kyo had never seen "that room" as he was rarely allowed to go near Akito and never on a one-on-one basis, but he had heard many stories about the room from Yuki. It seemed to be her torture room, reserved for Yuki alone. When they were growing up, there would be days at a time that Kyo would not see Yuki since he was locked up in that room with no nourishment and only the head of the family for company . . . yet no one did anything about it. The cursed Sohmas were too afraid to stand up to Akito since she was possessed by the spirit of God. They were forced to obey her – Kyo, too. It made him sick to his stomach.

'I couldn't defend myself,' Yuki continued, his voice cracking.

The cat knew better than anyone that Yuki "could" defend himself, in the literal sense of the word. However, when the master of the family was the one involved, no one was allowed to harm her or defy her word.

Yuki started to tremble with his restrained sobs.

Kyo drew him up to a sitting position and held him close.

'Damn, Akito,' he cursed into the grey hair as he stroked his companion's back. 'Damn her to hell and back for putting you through so much pain.'

"And damn myself for not being able to do something about it!"

'Whatever happens,' the redhead continued, 'I promise that you will not have to face it alone.'

Yuki drew his arms around Kyo and tightly embraced the other teen.

'I love you, Kyo,' he said brokenly. 'I love you so much.'

'Of course you do, kuso nezumi,' he said, bringing a smile to Yuki's tear-streaked face. 'We deserve each other,' he added, using his master's words.

'Hai, we do,' Yuki agreed. He pulled back just enough to press his lips firmly against Kyo's, his hands tracing patterns on Kyo's strong back.

Kyo had been surprised that it was Yuki who initiated this time, but he immediately got a hold of bearings and returned the kiss. The kiss deepened when he slipped his tongue into Yuki's waiting mouth; he caressed the familiar tongue, pouring himself into the kiss, wanting Yuki to feel how much he loved him. Kyo leaned forward, pressing his hard chest against his friend's bare one with a gentle urging.

Yuki immediately understood the implication and lay back on the futon, pulling Kyo down with him. His legs instinctively fell apart, allowing the cat to settle himself comfortably between them.

Kyo moaned when he felt Yuki's desire against his own; he revelled in this feeling of closeness, this intimacy that he had never experienced before. He shivered slightly in anticipation when Yuki slipped his hands under his shirt. They only broke their kiss for a moment to allow Yuki to tug the garment off - then continued once more.

Their bare chests pressed harder against each other and Yuki hissed in discomfort when his wounds were brushed. The sound snapped both teens back to the present and Kyo immediately pulled back, although he remained kneeling between Yuki's legs.

'Maybe we should wait until you're healed completely, ne?' he said sheepishly, blood rushing to his face.

'I'm sorry-' Yuki began, but Kyo cut him off.

'Don't apologize for something that's not your fault, kuso nezumi,' he said affectionately. 'If anything, Akito is the one to blame.'

'It brought us together,' Yuki said, in no way implying that Akito's behaviour was excusable.

'It did,' Kyo agreed.

'But I want you so badly,' Yuki said huskily, wrapping his legs around the cat's waist.

The redhead groaned.

'You're not helping, my love,' he said, playfully tapping Yuki's nose.

'"My love",' Yuki repeated thoughtfully and for a moment, Kyo thought he had said something wrong. 'I like the sound of that,' he said with a smile; Kyo sighed in relief. 'Is that what we are now? Lovers?'

'Well, we certainly aren't just friends anymore,' Kyo laughed. 'I don't really know what we are though,' he admitted.

'It doesn't need a name,' Yuki said earnestly, 'as long as we're together.'

'You know what?' Kyo said thoughtfully. 'Being friends felt right, but being together - like this - feels _more _right,' he finished lamely. 'The transition was so easy - so flawless. Does that make sense?'

Yuki kissed Kyo long and full on the mouth before responding.

'Hai, nothing has ever felt more right.'


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

##

True to his feline nature, Kyo woke up in the early hours of morning the next day, well before Yuki did. Careful not to wake his sleeping companion - lest he receive another jab to the nose - he quietly slipped out of the room, sliding the door closed behind him. From there, he went through his morning routine in the usual way, but with a slight bounce in his step.

Kazuma noticed this over breakfast and could not help but tease his foster son.

'My, you appear to be in a jovial mood today, Kyo,' he said, bemused. 'You look like the cat who stole the cream.'

'And it has never tasted so delicious,' Kyo replied, licking his lips.

'I'm glad to hear it,' Kazuma said with laugh. 'How is Yuki feeling? Do you have plans to go out today?'

'I'm not sure,' the redhead said slowly. 'Maybe the park?' He shrugged. 'Somewhere public so that it's not too obvious that he's staying with us . . . but I'm not sure if he'll have the energy to go out.'

'You don't plan on fighting against him, do you, Kyo?' his master said sternly.

'Of course not! It's just . . . you _know _I don't like staying indoors for too long, but I can't leave Yuki alone after what happened.'

'Of course not,' Kazuma repeated in a much gentler tone than Kyo had used. 'The park is a good idea,' he agreed. 'If he is able, the fresh air may do Yuki some good.'

'I wish it was that easy to heal him,' the cat said solemnly, speaking of more than just physical pain. 'I really do.'

##

'Are you sure you're healthy enough to be going out?' Kyo was asking his lover for the umpteenth time.

'Yes,' Yuki said in the same bored tone he had used for all his other replies. Although the bruises had gone from his face and he was no longer wearing any visible bandages, he supposed he could hardly blame the cat for worrying since he was still walking fairly slowly and with a slight limp.

'I don't want you to injure yourself - your wounds aren't fully healed yet.'

'Kyo, I'm fine,' Yuki said, rolling his eyes. 'Besides, you really seemed to be looking forward to this.'

Almost as soon as Yuki had woken up that morning, Kyo had bounded into the bedroom with a breakfast tray and the first aid kit to tend to his injuries, not to mention a request - plea, rather - to go to the park if Yuki was feeling well enough. The redhead had been so excited at the prospect of spending the day outside with the rat as his new love that he had hardly been able to contain himself.

'Well, you _know _I don't like staying indoors for too long,' Kyo said, using the same tone that he had used with Kazuma. 'And I've been waiting _hours _for you to finally get up, kuso nezumi.'

Yuki laughed, his melodic voice trailing in the wind.

Due to Yuki's limp, their progress was slow along the paved path that led from the Main House to the public street. A faint breeze blew their hair to and fro, cooling them down in the otherwise uncomfortably warm day. The sun was currently shining brightly overhead, but clouds were beginning to mar the rich azure sky.

As they were walking, Yuki stepped closer to the cat in to avoid stepping on a stray rock and their hands brushed.

Kyo smiled and took the initiative by grasping Yuki's hand in his own.

Although the rat's ears burned in embarrassment, a new glow seemed to emit from his features, as if nothing could have made him happier.

'Are you shy, my prince?' he teased.

'What are you talking about, kuso nezumi?' Yuki said, but his body betrayed him as blood started to rush to his face as well.

His lover laughed. Then he rearranged their hands so that their fingers were entwined, bringing their warm palms closer together.

Yuki sighed softly with bliss.

What could ruin this beautiful, perfect day?

But if the two Juunishi had not been so engrossed in each other and their newfound happiness, they would have seen exactly "what". A shadow followed closely behind them, darting from tree to tree to avoid being seen. When Yuki and Kyo went through the main gate of the Sohma property, the shadow doubled backed, prepared to report back to its master with what it had just seen.

##

Yuki watched with interest as Kyo practiced some complicated moves on the field near the lake. He himself was sitting not too far away with his back against a tree. In his lap was the book he had brought to read, but now lay forgotten.

'You don't have any defence,' he scolded his companion, 'and your offence is flawed.'

'Does the great rat have an opinion about everything?' redhead asked sarcastically.

'When I know I'm right, yes.' Yuki got to his feet slowly and painfully. From the expression that he saw on Kyo's face, the cat seemed ready to leap to his rescue if he stumbled.

'I'm fine, my love,' he reassured the other teen. He left his book lying under the tree and made his way over to Kyo. 'You should try it like this,' Yuki said. He took his lover's arms and moved them accordingly. 'That way, you can protect your flank, but you will still be aware of what is happening on _this _side,' he indicated.

Kyo nodded and repeated the move with Yuki's modifications.

'That's better,' Yuki commended. He limped a short distance away from Kyo and began to perform some simple moves, although much slower than his energetic companion and definitely much slower than he himself usually practiced them.

Not long after, Yuki began to notice that Kyo's motions were slowing; sweat formed on his tanned forehead and his breathing became abnormally heavy.

'I think a storm is coming,' Kyo said, gazing up at the darkening sky.

Yuki nodded. He was well aware that Kyo - with his feline nature - despised the rain and always grew weary in bad weather.

'We had better start heading back. If it starts to rain before we get home, there is _no _way I am carrying you back,' he teased, but with an inkling of truth. He hardly had the strength to hold his own body up, let alone the fatigued cat as well.

Yuki retrieved his book and the two teens started to make their way back to the Main House.

'Can you believe school starts soon?' the rat asked to distract the cat from the looming clouds.

'The summer went by so fast,' Kyo agreed, yawning widely.

This time, it was Yuki who reached for his hand and entwined their fingers as the redhead had done before.

'Are you still convinced going to that co-ed school is worth the trouble?' Kyo asked.

'Hai,' Yuki said seriously. 'I need to get from Akito and feel as if my life is my own, if only for a short while.' He noticed the downfallen expression on his lover's face and quickly added, 'But we'll still see each other all the time! We can even study together - it's not like my parents' house if far away from yours.'

'I suppose,' Kyo said, although he seemed slightly more upbeat. 'Personally, however, I'd like to walk down the school corridors without having to worry that some girl is going to sneak up on me from behind and make me transform in front of everyone.'

Yuki nodded grimly.

'But if we went to the same school, it's not the girls you'd have to worry about,' he said with a sly grin.

'Oh, Yuki,' Kyo said, kissing the rat chastely on the lips. 'You're going to be the death of me.'

'I hope not,' Yuki said with a laugh. 'I won't have anyone to tease then.'

##

It ended up raining that entire afternoon.

Since school had not started yet, the cat was more than content to curl up in his blankets and nap the day away, which left Yuki to his own devices since Kazuma usually spent his days teaching in the dojo.

The rat paced around the house restlessly, looking for something to do. Then he remembered that Kyo always kept some paper and pencils in his room. Careful not to wake his sleeping lover, Yuki slipped into Kyo's bedroom and retrieved the items from his desk. Just as quietly, he slid the door shut behind him and went downstairs to the dining room.

Yuki settled himself at the table and flicked the TV on to provide some background noise in the empty house. A cooking show was playing. He watched the show with mild interest for a while before returning his attention to the paper.

"I wonder what I should draw," he thought. He had not sketched for a long time, but since he was more or less confined to the house all day, he decided that there was no better time to start again than now.

Then the rat smiled, surprised that it had taken him so long to think of something to sketch.

It was obvious.

##

When Kazuma arrived home later that night, he was not surprised to see Yuki sitting alone at the dining table.

'Good evening, Yuki. Kyo is sleeping, I take it?' he asked, amused.

Yuki looked up from his drawing.

'Good evening, Sensei,' he greeted in return. 'Hai, he has been sleeping all afternoon.'

Kazuma laughed.

'It looks like your roles have reversed - he is the bedridden one now,' he explained since Yuki had looked confused.

Yuki shared in his laughter.

'I suppose so!'

'I brought home bento boxes for dinner,' Kazuma said, indicating the bag in his hand. 'Can you go and wake Kyo up?'

'Hai,' Yuki said. 'I think he's been sleeping long enough anyway.'

After packing up the unused paper and pencils - not to mention his drawing - Yuki made his way upstairs to Kyo's room. He stared at the closed door, wondering if he should knock.

"Meh," he thought with a shrug and proceeded inside.

'Kyo, time to wake up,' he said, nudging the other teen with his toe.

Kyo stirred, but did not reply.

'Kyo, dinner is downstairs,' Yuki tried again, getting impatient.

'Too tired,' Kyo said, his voice muffled by the blankets.

'All the more reason to eat!' Yuki exclaimed. 'You need your energy.'

Before the cat even had the chance to blink, Yuki whipped the blankets off him and threw them down at the foot of the futon.

'Get up!' he said cheerfully.

Kyo scowled.

'Fine, I'm up, I'm up,' he said, stretching his arms over his head.

'I drew you something,' Yuki said, sitting at the edge of the futon beside Kyo.

Kyo rubbed his eyes.

'Oh? Let's see it then,' he said.

Yuki handed him the drawing and his eyes widened with interest.

'This is amazing,' he said. 'I had forgotten that you used to sketch.'

Yuki nudged him.

'It's not that good,' he said shyly. 'I haven't drawn in a long time.'

The drawing was a close-up of the two of them. There were gazing into each other's eyes with the new love they had discovered today. In the sketch, Yuki had tried his best to capture the heat of their emotions - their irreplaceable bond.

'I even signed it,' Yuki added, indicating the note at the bottom.

_For Kyo,_

_With all the love I possess,_

_Yuki_

Kyo's eyes lit up.

'It's perfect,' he said. He pulled Yuki in for a kiss, but the rat wrinkled his nose and turned away.

'Morning breath,' he explained with a laugh.

'Pssh,' Kyo tutted and pulled him in again.

This time, Yuki let him; he poured his heart into the kiss, wanting the other teen to know the true extent of his feelings for him.

'I love you,' Kyo said.

'I love you more,' Yuki replied. 'My life just wouldn't be the same without you.'

##

After a quick dinner, Yuki and Kyo returned upstairs for some much needed rest. It had actually been Kazuma's suggestion that they sleep early since they were still recovering - Yuki from his wounds and Kyo from the bad weather - but they had readily agreed.

'You can have my futon - I'll use this one,' Kyo said, pulling out the extra futon and blankets from the hallway closet. He dragged them into his room and set it up beside the other futon.

After going through their usual nightly routines (Yuki borrowed some clothes and used the spare toothbrush that Kyo had in the bathroom), they slipped into the blankets, but raised themselves on one elbow so that they could still look at each other.

'This was an exciting day, ne?' Yuki asked, reaching out to brush the cat's cheek with his fingers.

'Hai,' Kyo agreed. He took Yuki's hand in his own and kissed the palm. His mouth drifted to Yuki's wrist; his tongue darted out to tease the sensitive skin there.

Yuki sighed, his eyes darkening with passion.

Kyo shifted onto the other futon, sliding underneath Yuki's blanket to share it with him. Then he leaned forwards and captured Yuki's lips with his own. Despite the bad weather, fire burned within him and he knew that there was only one way to quench it. Now, more than ever, he was relieved that the Juunishi curse was healing Yuki so quickly, but he reminded himself that he still had to take care when touching his lover. Kyo slipped his hands underneath his friend's shirt, going slowly in case Yuki did not want to proceed.

But the rat was far from resistant. He moaned softly into Kyo's mouth when he felt the warm hands caress his bare skin. He lifted his arms, allowing the latter to tug the garment off over his head. Yuki returned the favour, his deft hands easily removing the other teen's shirt and tossing it away.

Kyo pulled away from Yuki's soft lips and slipped his head underneath the blanket. He teased the sensitive skin on the other teen's abdomen by gently nipping it with his teeth. Then he bit down on Yuki's waistband and pulled the garment off.

'Going commando, are we?' he teased.

'I didn't have anything to wear underneath,' Yuki said sheepishly.

But Kyo was far from caring. He settled himself between Yuki's legs, tenderly stroking the sensitive skin on his inner thighs, admiring his smooth, flawless length.

Yuki groaned and instinctively thrust upwards, craving more contact. He reached underneath the blankets and pulled Kyo out until he was positioned over the rat's hips. Yuki reached for the redhead's clothes and disposed of them as easily as his shirt, boxers and all. His eyes widened when he saw the beautiful pale skin that had been below the clothes and he reached out to touch it, but Kyo stopped him.

'Not yet,' he said huskily. He slipped back underneath the blankets and took Yuki's desire into his mouth, causing the other teen to moan uncontrollably. The cat shifted forwards and back, allowing the length to slide in and out of his mouth in a rhythmic motion.

'Wait,' Yuki said with a strained voice, just before he was about to cum.

Kyo stopped and slid back up to kiss Yuki, allowing the other teen to taste himself.

'Why did you want me to stop?' he asked, kissing his lover's pale neck. 'Were you not enjoying it?'

'I was,' Yuki said, flushing. He intuitively leaned away from the cat, exposing more of his neck to him. 'But I want to cum together.'

He reached for Kyo's length at the same time that the cat reached for his and they thrust into each other's fists, finishing together.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

##

A knock on the door late the next morning woke the two teens from their slumber.

Yuki tiredly glanced at the window to try to determine what time it was, but clouds were still darkening the sky, making it difficult for him to tell. He started when thunder roared in the distance, followed by the unmistakeable sound of rain beating harshly against the windows.

'Yuki, Kyo,' a familiar voice called insistently.

'Mmph,' Yuki murmured irritably, burying his face into his pillow again.

Without waiting for a proper reply, Kazuma slid the door open and stepped into the room. Despite his urgent entrance, he tactfully averted his eyes from the two nude bodies.

'Akito wants to see you,' he said, seemingly unsurprised that they were sharing a futon. 'Both of you.' He nudged Kyo with his foot.

'What does Akito want me for, Shishou?' Kyo asked, his voice hoarse from sleep. 'She never sends for me.'

Kazuma's jaw stiffened.

'Shigure didn't say,' he admitted, 'but I expect it might have something to do with _this_.' He nodded pointedly at the two of them.

'How could he have found out?' Yuki asked, suddenly alert. 'Could did she even know that I was here?' He sat up, pulling the covers up with him to conceal his bare chest.

'I'm not sure,' Kazuma said slowly, 'but be prepared for the worst.' He turned to leave, stopping in the doorway. 'Shigure is waiting for you downstairs,' he said, not meeting their eyes. 'And he has . . . handcuffs for Kyo.'

'Why?' Kyo demanded, suddenly angry.

'Akito has commanded it.'

'And what if I refuse?' The cat raised himself up to lean on his elbows so that he would be able to look at his master.

'You have to do what Akito says,' Kazuma said; it seemed difficult for him to form the words. 'Otherwise, Yuki has to face her alone.'

Kyo and Yuki looked at each other, both of them thinking the same thing. They knew that anything Akito had in store for them would be far from pleasant, but they also knew that they had to face it together.

'Ha i. . .'

##

The two teens followed Shigure to Akito's house and into one of the rooms on the lower level, both of them on edge for what was to come. They kneeled before Akito - Kyo with some difficulty due to the bad weather and his handcuffs - and bowed their heads in respect.

"Although no one deserves it less," Yuki thought darkly.

The four men - Shigure, Kureno, Ayame, and Hatori - were kneeling behind them. All of them were wearing unusually sombre expressions on their faces; it was especially strange to see Ayame and Shigure looking so serious.

Yuki vaguely wondered why so many of the Juunishi needed to be present, although he had a strong suspicion that they were there to force him and Kyo to do Akito's will.

'Yuki,' Akito greeted the rat, her voice eerily calm. 'How are you?'

Yuki did not reply; his hands were trembling slightly as the head of the Sohmas approached him.

Akito gently placed her hand on the rat's head.

'I've missed you.'

Yuki flinched, already knowing what was going to happen next.

'I'm happy that you came to visit me today . . . but I do not understand why you are still hanging around with this _thing!_' She suddenly clenched her fist in his hair, causing him to cry out in pain.

Kyo tried to jump to his feet to defend Yuki, but Kureno swiftly grabbed his shoulders from behind and forced him to stay on his knees. If truth be told, it did not take him much effort since the cat was already so fatigued from the rain.

'Stop!' he protested wearily.

Akito ignored Kyo and continued to harass Yuki.

'Did I not expressly forbid you from seeing _it _again?' she shouted maniacally. 'And now I hear that you are lovers!'

Shigure and Ayame gasped in shock. If Hatori had been surprised as well, he did a better job of hiding his emotions.

'How long has this been going on?' Akito demanded.

'Nothing has been going on!' Yuki finally replied, tears leaking from his eyes in pain. This was partly true since they had not really become lovers until yesterday.

'Do not lie to me!' she yelled, spittle flying from her mouth. 'Kureno saw you two together!'

If Yuki was able to, he would have shot a dark look at the rooster.

'You cannot keep secrets from me!' Akito was screaming. 'I am your master! I am your God!' She forcefully shoved Yuki away and his cheekbone collided with the floor with a sickening sound.

'Stop it!' Kyo demanded. 'Leave him alone!'

'You!' she said, her attention suddenly on Kyo. 'What are _you _doing playing with me things?' She swiped at his face, leaving deep gashes across his cheek. 'Do _not _touch what is not yours!' she said as if she was speaking to a child.

'Yuki is _not _yours!' Kyo retorted, breathing heavily from his tiredness. 'He was _never _yours!'

'Ah, but _you_ could be, remember?' Akito said; her face only was inches away from Kyo's. 'You could be mine to control forever, little kitty . . .'

Yuki raised himself to all fours and glanced from one angered face to the other.

'Kyo, what's she talking about?' he asked his best friend.

'So you _didn't _tell him about the fate of the cat,' Akito said with a soft laugh. 'I had always wondered if you would . . . to give you an _advantage_.'

Kyo looked away, unable to meet Yuki's gaze because of his shame.

Kureno seemed to decide that it was finally safe to leave him alone, so he relinquished his hold on the cat.

'Kyo-kun made a bet with me, you see,' Akito said in a bright voice. 'If he is able to beat you - his best friend -' she added, gagging, 'in a fight before high school graduation, then the _cat _will become a full member of the Juunishi.'

Yuki's eyes widened. He had only heard rumours about this, only whispers in the shadows . . . and now it was confirmed. It was possible for the cat to become one of the Juunishi!

'Is this true, Kyo?' he asked, staring at his friend.

'Hai,' Kyo said softly. 'I didn't - _couldn't_ - tell you because it had to be a fair fight,' he said in defence. 'If I told you, you might have lost on purpose since we were friends.'

'You're right,' Yuki said, his hair shielding his face as he dropped his head in acquiescence. 'I would have.'

'But only because you would not know what is truly at stake,' Akito said gleefully.

'What do you mean?' Kyo demanded. '_Those _were the terms we said. _Those _are the terms we agreed on - the _only _terms!'

'Ah, you think that only because you did not quite think it through,' Akito said. She sat down in her chair in front of them and folded her hands on her lap.

'What do you mean?' Yuki asked with narrowed eyes.

'In order for the cat to become a full member of the Juunishi,' Akito said slowly, 'the rat . . . cannot be.'

The full impact of her statement hit the Juunishi hard and the room went eerily silent; even Kureno was shocked by this news.

'In other words,' Akito said, clearly enjoying her cruelty, 'Yuki will be _mine_! The rat will be closest to God once more - forever! I will lock him in my chamber and . . . visit him when I please.'

Yuki was shaking openly now, remembering what Akito's visits were always like.

'That was never part of our agreement!' Kyo snapped.

'It was always there,' Akito said with pointed lips. 'You should have read between the lines.'

Yuki knew that there was no sense in arguing with Akito; whether it was true or not, her word was Law for the cursed ones.

Akito stood up again and approached Yuki. She gently stroked his jaw, caressing it as if she was his lover.

It made Yuki want to throw up.

'Yuki, there is something else you should know about the fate of the cat,' she said silkily.

Kyo immediately snapped to attention.

'No,' he said, although Yuki knew he would not have the strength to object. Already he could see Kyo's body being weighed down by his fatigue. The cat struggled unsuccessfully with his bonds, forcing them to cut deeper into his wrists.

'You should know the reason why the cat is . . . a monster.'

'No! You can't!' Kyo protested.

'Kureno, remove his bracelet,' Akito said with a wave of her hand.

The rooster stepped forward to comply.

As soon as he did, Kyo screamed with pain; a horrid smell began to fill the room.

Before Yuki's very eyes, Kyo transformed . . . but he was not transforming into his familiar feline form. His eyes were scarlet red and his skin became coarse and rough. His limbs grew to unnatural proportions; claws sprouted from where his hands and feet used to be. He was repulsive. He truly was a monster.

Yuki's eyes widened in fear when the monster roared; he turned away, unable to watch anymore.

'Look at him!' Akito said, grabbing his chin and forcing him to turn his head. 'Look at your lover! How could you love a monster like _him_?' She spat on the floor in disgust.

'It's not his fault that he's like this!' Yuki snapped, although fear filled his heart whenever he gazed upon the beastly form. 'It's not his fault that he's the cat! He's still human!' He broke away from Akito's hold and wrapped his arms around Kyo's mangled limb; the strong odour burned his nose, but he loved Kyo too much to let go.

'Yuki-' Akito warned, but she was cut off.

'I still love him!' Yuki shouted. 'I love him with all my heart.'

Kyo gazed at Yuki with his scarlet eyes and his nose gently nudged the rat's hand.

Akito's eye twitched, as if there was so much anger boiling within her that she did not know what to do with it.

'ERASE HIS MEMORIES!' she ordered Hatori. 'ERASE ALL THE MEMORIES HE HAS OF _IT_!' She pointed at Kyo, her fingers trembling because of her anger.

Kyo roared in protest and moved in front of Yuki to defend him.

The four other Juunishi were prepared for this scenario, however. Kureno and Ayame dashed forwards, each grabbing one of Kyo's gangly arms. Before the cat even had a chance to react, the rooster slipped his bracelet back on, forcing him to return to his human form.

Kyo's roars quickly became screams of anger.

'Let me go!' he demanded, violently resisting their hold on him. 'Yuki! Yuki!'

They struggled to hold him, but were nevertheless successful since he was much weaker than he otherwise would have been in fairer weather - which is probably why Akito had not wanted to waste any time in arranging this meeting. Kyo's human form was also easier to control than his monster form would ever be.

Meanwhile, Shigure and Hatori had darted for Yuki, giving him the same treatment that Kyo had been given (minus the bracelet). Unhindered by the bad weather, the rat was undoubtedly stronger than his counterpart, but even he was unable to fight off two healthy, grown men.

'Kyo! I can't lose you!' Yuki shouted.

"Not now that we're just discovering our feeling for one another," he finished in his head, hoping that the other teen would be able to read that in his expression.

'DO IT! NOW!' Akito commanded.

Shigure forcefully shoved Yuki's hands behind his back to hold him still, causing the teen to cry out in pain. Hatori hastily took advantage of Yuki's brief moment of weakness by placing his fingertips on Yuki's temples. A bright light emitted from his palm and Yuki collapsed in Shigure's arms.

It was done.

Kyo stopped struggling, knowing that it was already too late.

'Yu . . . ki . . .' he trailed off. 'You did it,' he said in disbelief, staring at Hatori with red eyes devoid of emotion. 'You really did it . . .'

Ayame and Kureno released him, ruefully staring at the limp form in their cousin's arms. They watched as Shigure gently laid the body on the ground for Hatori to inspect him. The dragon kneeled at Yuki's side, checking his vital signs.

'It was a success,' he said in the factual tone he used with his patients.

Kyo stared at Yuki's prone form in disbelief. He was so distracted that he started when Shigure put a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sorry,' the dog said. 'We care for you both and don't want to see you get hurt.'

The cat looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

'Well, mission failed, dog!' he sneered.

At the other side of the room, Akito was scoffing.

'What are you apologizing to _it _for?' she snapped.

Shigure became silent.

'Well, go on then,' Kyo said, gritting his teeth angrily. 'Aren't you going to erase my memory too?'

Akito looked at him thoughtfully, apparently taking great pleasure from his anguish.

'No,' she decided, knowing that this decision was more painful for Kyo than any other punishment or cruelty she dealt him. 'You can keep yours.' Akito stepped towards him so that her mouth was only inches from his ear when she added, 'That will teach you to play with my things.' She turned to the other Juunishi. 'Get him out of my sight. All of you - get out!' She grabbed Hatori's arm as he was turning away to leave with the others. 'Except you.'

Kyo hesitantly followed Kureno, Shigure, and Ayame out of the house. He absolutely loathed leaving Yuki alone in there, but there was nothing he could do. The other teen would not even remember him when he woke up.

He could already hear his heart shattering.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six **

##

Akito sat down in her chair. She folded her robe around her thin legs and signalled for Hatori to kneel in front of her.

Hatori did so, kneeling next to Yuki's prone form.

'You have done well,' she commended.

'What are we going to tell Yuki?' the dragon asked, already knowing what the head of the Sohmas was thinking.

Akito stroked her chin thoughtfully.

'He needs to think that he hates the cat,' she said slowly. 'Tell him that they were fighting and there was an accident. Kyo struck Yuki's head against a rock and caused him to lose a part of his memory.' She smiled. 'Hai . . . This would explain his wounds _and_ his memory loss.'

Hatori cleared his throat.

'If that's the case, then I should bring him home with me,' he said. 'If he wakes up here, he will be wondering why he was brought to your house for medical treatment instead of mine,' he explained.

Akito nodded.

'Do it.'

Hatori turned around and slid his arms under his cousin's limp body. Then he stood up, carrying Yuki in his arms.

'Oh, one more thing, Hatori,' Akito called as he was heading out the door. 'Tell the others that if there is one word - one _whisper - _that Yuki's memories of Kyo were erased at my command, I will have all of their memories erased.' She smiled evilly.

Hatori nodded and left Akito's house before she could make any more requests.

Kyo was sitting on the front steps, waiting for him to come outside.

'How is he?' the cat asked worriedly.

'He is fine,' Hatori said in his monotonous voice. 'I am bringing him to my house.'

Kyo nodded, but Hatori could see that the cat's body was trembling with anger.

'How could you do it?' he asked brokenly. 'He is your cousin. He's the snake's _brother_!'

Hatori sighed.

'You know as well as I do that we cannot defy Akito's will,' he said, defeated.

Kyo inhaled deeply, trying to get a hold of his emotions.

'Can I come with you?' he asked. 'I want to be there when he wakes up.'

Hatori hesitated before answering.

'Hai, but you have to wait outside,' he said. 'Yuki . . . will not remember you, Kyo. He will think that he hates you.'

Kyo stiffened, but this news did not really seem to surprise him.

'I know,' he said, confirming Hatori's suspicions.

'Are you sure you can deal with that right now?'

'I still want to be there for him,' he said earnestly

Hatori nodded and led the way.

##

Kyo paced impatiently outside of Hatori's house, waiting for Yuki to come out. The redhead was not sure how long it would take Yuki to wake up since he did not fully understand how Hatori's powers worked. However, he was prepared to wait there for the entire night if he had to.

Just as he was thinking that, he heard a door sliding open. Kyo's gaze snapped towards Hatori's door just as his lover was walking down the front steps, but he looked . . . different; he looked as if his light had been taken away.

'Oy, Yuki,' he called softly, reaching out for him.

Yuki glared at him with eyes of ice.

Kyo immediately let his hand drop, surprised by the cold expression on the other teen's face.

'What do _you_ want?' the rat asked with narrowed eyes.

'Uh . . . er . . . nothing,' Kyo stuttered.

'Then don't talk to me unless you have to, baka neko,' the rat said. 'Speaking to you aggravates me.'

Then he left as swiftly as he had appeared.

Kyo froze, unaccustomed to hearing Yuki's friendly term of endearment for him suddenly used as an insult. He knew that there was no remedy for Hatori's power - his Yuki was gone, out of reach forever.

He fell to his knees and screamed.

##

When he had gathered himself together again, as best as he could since he would never truly be whole again, Kyo headed back to his house in a daze. He was not surprised to see Kazuma sitting in the dining room, waiting for him to come home. When the redhead entered the room, his master immediately got to his feet and embraced him.

'I'm sorry, Kyo,' he said, patting his foster son's back.

Tears blurred Kyo's vision, but he gritted his teeth and tried not to let them fall.

'He's gone, Shishou,' the cat said, his voice hoarse from screaming.

Kazuma pulled back, but held onto Kyo's shoulders.

'Everything happens for a reason,' he said wisely. 'Sometimes, that reason just isn't obvious to us.'

Kyo turned away so that his companion would not see his pained expression. He clenched his fists and screwed up his face, still stubbornly trying to prevent the tears from coming.

'Come away with me,' Kazuma said suddenly.

'What?' Kyo inquired, confused.

'Come with me to the mountains, away from the Main House for a while.'

The cat looked at his master with furrowed brows.

'I don't want to forget him, Shishou,' he said.

'I don't want you to forget him either,' Kazuma said. 'I want you to _heal_.'

Kyo looked up, meeting his foster father's gaze.

'Okay,' he finally said, feeling slightly calmer - although still in pain - now that he had an escape route. 'I'll prepare my things.'

Kazuma clapped him encouragingly on the shoulder and gently nudged him towards the stairs.

'I'll be waiting down here,' he said. 'We can leave tonight.'

Kyo dragged his feet up the stairs and headed to his room. He braced himself in the doorway, preparing himself for the torrent of memories that were sure to flood his mind once he entered the room. After taking a deep breath, he slid the door open . . .

Yuki's picture on his desk.

Yuki lying on his futon.

Yuki telling him that he loved him.

Yuki's flushed face after they had kissed.

Yuki's warm body pressed against his.

Yuki's scent in the room.

Yuki smiling.

Yuki laughing.

Yuki . . . Yuki . . . Yuki . . .

Kyo hit the door frame with the side of his fist, hanging his head in misery. They had been through so much together, but it had all been taken away in a single moment.

'Damn it, Akito,' he cursed.

Finally, the tears came.

##

'Come on, Kyo,' Kazuma called from outside. 'The car is waiting.'

'I'll be there in a minute,' Kyo replied, his head hanging out the front door. 'I just want to make a quick phone call.'

He hurried to the kitchen and dialled Haru's home phone number, hoping that the other teen was at home. He was relieved when the ox picked up the phone on the first ring.

'Haru,' he said softly, his monotonous voice concealing his inner anguish. 'It's Kyo.'

'Hai?'

Kyo nervously cleared his throat, not certain how to frame his request to the other teen or if he would even be willing to comply.

'You love Yuki, ne?'

There was a pause.

'He was my first love.' Haru said with a sigh. 'But he's different now,' the ox observed. 'He's more distant than he used to be, more aloof, like a part of him is missing.'

'Like a cold prince,' Kyo thought out loud, wondering if he would ever see Yuki smile as he once did, hear his carefree laughter . . . but that felt like a lifetime ago. Yuki's childhood was gone, taken away by Hatori that day . . . no, by Akito.

'Hai.' Haru agreed.

'Kyo, come quickly!' Kazuma called out again, snapping Kyo back to the present.

'I need you to do something for me,' the redhead said hastily into the receiver.

'What?'

'Convince Yuki to stay with Shigure when he starts high school - get him away from the Main House.'

'Why?'

"Because it will be too painful to see him all the time," Kyo thought sadly.

'Because he needs to stay away from Akito as much as he can,' he said instead. 'He needs to get out of the Sohma cage. Please, Haru.'

'Hai,' the ox said again.

Kyo hung up the receiver. There was nothing more he could do for Yuki before he left. He just hoped that wherever the rat was, whatever he was doing, he was happy without Kyo . . .

. . . but Kyo certainly could not be happy without him.


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

##

There was only one day left until graduation.

Yuki stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, easily recognizing the differences in his features from when he started high school. His grey hair was shorter than it had been back then, styled in a way that was, for lack of better description, messy in an artistic manner. His face had lost its child-like roundness, his cheekbones becoming more chiselled as the years passed. Although his physique was still quite slim, his muscles were bigger and had more definition than they did back then, a fact that more than a few girls - well, women now - had definitely noticed.

The rat sighed and hung his head, his hands anxiously gripping the edge of his dresser.

Today was the day . . . the day that he and Kyo would be fighting for the last time for a place with the Juunishi. He was not as confident in his ability to beat the cat as he had been three years ago. Although he had certainly gotten stronger over the years, the cat had as well. If he had to admit it, their strength and skill were almost on par; it was not a comforting thought.

Yuki dreaded defeat - _feared _it from his very being. If he lost the fight today, he would lose his very freedom as well. He would be locked in a private chamber, at the mercy of Akito until he died. Death would be a welcome escape after having to endure anything that Akito did to him.

He shuddered.

A fortunate knock on the door interrupted his dark thoughts.

'Sohma-kun?' Tohru's soft voice called from the corridor.

'Hai, come in,' he replied.

She slid the door open. She had changed noticeably over the years as well. Although she was still as kind and sweet she had been on the day he met her, she, too, had grown and matured. Her hair was much shorter than it had been back then, barely surpassing her shoulders now. Her facial features were more graceful, although her movements were still as clumsy as they had always been, Yuki realized with amusement. Her body was much more womanly now, curvier and more attractive . . .

But Yuki did not really see her like that. If anything, the love he felt for Tohru was more akin to that of a brother and sister. It was deep, but lacked the passion and heat that he expected to feel for a lover.

'I brought this for you,' Tohru said, handing him a plain white envelope.

'Arigato, but what is it?' Yuki asked curiously, turning it over in his hands.

'A letter,' she replied with a smile.

'Who is it from?' he asked patiently, knowing that she would not answer the obvious unless he asked it directly.

'Uh . . .' she hesitated. 'Kyo-hun requested that I bring it to you.'

A flare of anger rose up in Yuki when he realized that Tohru had been inconvenienced by the cat. Kyo could have easily given Yuki the letter himself - they lived in the same house for goodness' sake!

'Ah, it was no trouble at all,' Tohru said quickly, as if she could read the rat's mind. 'Kyo-kun . . . he seemed to think that you would not accept it if he gave it to you directly. That's why he asked me to do it.'

"Well, he was right about that," Yuki thought irritably.

'Arigato,' he said again, deciding that he would read it as soon as Tohru left, if only to ensure her actions had not been in vain.

'Okay, I will leave you to it then,' she said cheerfully. Tohru backed out of the room, still with that same bright smile. Then she slid the door shut behind her.

Yuki retrieved his letter opener from his desk and slit the envelope open. He pulled the letter out, wondering why Kyo was suddenly writing to him, wondering what was so important - or perhaps so unimportant - that the cat could not say it to his face.

_Yuki_, it began.

_I can't go to the cat's box without trying to tell you - there are important things you should know . . . things you have forgotten. I have wanted to tell you this for a long time, but Akito's threats have always held me back. _

Yuki bit his lower lip anxiously, knowing better than anyone the kind of power Akito's threats held.

_This may be the last time I can tell you things before I am locked away forever-_

"So, he's nervous about losing the fight," Yuki thought smugly before continuing.

_-so I'm not going to lose this chance. _

_You have not always been like this, the cold prince that others see. You used to be happier, more carefree than you are now. You used to smile more . . . laugh more . . . you used to love. _

_When Tohru first moved in, I was afraid that she would reject you - reject all of us! - and make you even more guarded than you are now. But now I see that her companionship is the best thing that could have happened. She brings out the best in people; you seem to be coming out of your shell more and more as her heart warms yours. Even I am affected by her - less angry at a world that hates me for something that is out of my control. I love her-_

The rat snorted. Was _this _what Kyo had wanted to tell him? That he was in love in Tohru? It was a waste of both their time.

_-like a sister, _the letter continued and Yuki almost felt bad for his earlier jump to conclusions . . . almost.

_She accepts me for who I am, rather than what I am. There are so few people who are able to look past the obvious to see the good within, fewer still who are willing to try._

The teen felt like gagging. He was tempted to throw the letter away so that he would not have to finish reading the cat's mushy ramblings, but he nevertheless continued on, remembering that the letter mentioned something important he had to remember.

_I suppose what I am trying to say is that _you _used to see me like that, too - as a person. You knew that I wasn't a monster, even seemed to understand my condition . . . I loved you for that._

Yuki froze, his hands stiffening as he re-read the last line again and again: "I loved you for that." The next part had been re-written and crossed out many times, as if Kyo had not been sure how to put his feelings into words.

_I loved - _love_ - you with all my being, with everything that I am. In another time - another _lifetime _- you loved me too. We grew up together. We told each other everything. We were best friends. Then our friendship became something more. I was everything to you . . . and you to me. _

_But we hardly even had the chance to explore our love before Akito found out. When you defended me, she gave Hatori the order to erase your memory, all of your memories of me. You were never the same again . . . so neither was I._

His hands were trembling now, but Yuki forced himself to read the rest of the letter he was not sure he wanted to finish.

_I know that it is impossible to reverse Hatori's power - that you may even think this is just a ploy to distract you during our final battle - but . . . well, I suppose anything I say now won't be able to convince you one way or another._

Yuki touched the paper with his fingertips, noticing there were parts that were wrinkled and blurred almost beyond recognition. Had Kyo been crying?

_I just needed you to know that you are loved, that you used to love. _

_I have enclosed with this letter my two most cherished possessions - a photo of us before high school began and the last gift you had given me._

_I love you, my prince . . . and that is why I am going to lose to you today. The cat has always lost; the cat is meant to lose. I don't want you to be at the mercy of Akito. Saving you from her is the last gift that I can give you - and I give it to you with all my heart._

_Do not forget me._

_~ Kyo_

Yuki hastily checked the envelope and saw the items that Kyo had mentioned; he had not noticed them before. He pulled out the first sheet.

The photograph showed the two of them laughing; their arms were tightly wrapped each other's shoulders as if they never wanted to let go. They could not have been older than fourteen. There was no doubt in Yuki's mind that this was the last photo that was taken of them as best friends - why else would Kyo value it so much?

Yuki touched the photo longingly, yearning for this time when he had been so happy and free. He desperately strained his memory for a hint of this moment, anything to prove that it was real . . . but Hatori's powers were relentless, flawless, for he only drew a blank void.

Disappointedly, he slipped his hand into the envelope again to retrieve the other item. The paper was folded and felt rather frail, as if it had been folded and unfolded many, many times. Yuki opened it with great care, wondering what had lured Kyo's attention so many times before.

It was a drawing, sketched with great care and detail. The drawing was a close-up of Yuki and Kyo, lying in bed and staring into each other's eyes. Through the hands of the artist, Yuki could see the adoration and love that was shining out of their eyes.

He glanced at the corner, curious to know who the artist was. His breath caught in his throat.

_For Kyo,_

_With all the love I possess._

_Yuki_

Yuki stared at the note, immediately recognizing his own handwriting. _He _had drawn this. _He _had given it to Kyo before his memories of the cat were wiped away. If there was any doubt in his mind before, it was certainly gone now - he trusted Kyo's words, believing that in a different time, in a difference place, they had been in love.

But even if he had loved Kyo back then, he did not love him now. How could Yuki love someone he hardly knew anymore - someone he could not remember? Still, knowing that he had once loved Kyo, could he allow the cat to lose on purpose in order to gain his own freedom?

After dropping the items onto his blanket, Yuki shakily sat down on the edge of his futon and buried his face in his hands. He did not know what to do . . .

##

The fight was to take place in Akito's enclosed courtyard and only the Juunishi were permitted - ordered, rather - to be present. After all, as far as they knew, the outcome of the battle may well affect them all.

Tohru had been expressly forbidden to attend and Kyo secretly agreed with that decision. He did not want the poor girl to worry more than she already did, especially since the loser would not be returning home to Shigure's that night. It would probably break her heart to have to see them hurting each other as well.

The redhead anxiously paced outside of Akito's house; he had not been allowed to go through to the back until it was time. The other Juunishi were already assembled as his sensitive ears could hear their murmurs over the wall of the courtyard. He vaguely wondered if Yuki was already inside.

'Oy, baka nek- Kyo,' someone said from behind him.

Kyo closed his eyes, knowing who would be standing there.

'What?' he asked, not turning around to face his companion.

A hand grasped his arm, but it was unexpectedly gentle - not the usual rough treatment he was used to receiving from his inherent enemy - so he did not snap back in defence.

'Kyo,' Yuki said again, more softly this time. 'Turn around, please.'

Kyo did, although he was hanging his head so he would not have to look at the rat.

To his surprise, Yuki suddenly embraced him. The rat's arms slid under his and wrapped behind his back, pulling him close.

'Yuki, what-?' Kyo stuttered, confused.

Yuki did not reply and instead tucked his face into the crook of the cat's neck.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Kyo swallowed his words and wrapped his arms around Yuki's shoulders, inhaling deeply. God, he had missed this, but the feeling of having Yuki so close right before he was about to be taken away was painful.

'I still don't remember,' Yuki whispered, his voice cracking. 'I'm sorry.'

'You don't have to be sorry for something that isn't your fault,' Kyo said, using the gentle tone that he had not used with Yuki for a long time.

'I don't want you to lose intentionally today.'

Kyo stiffened.

'I have to,' he said, not certain how to argue his case; if truth be told, he had not expected to have a private moment with Yuki before the battle, let alone the chance to speak with him.

'No, you don't,' Yuki said firmly.

'But if you lose, you will be at Akito's mercy.'

'I don't care.'

Kyo smiled tenderly.

'You don't even remember that you loved me,' he reminded the rat. 'How can you sacrifice yourself for me?'

'You have already sacrificed yourself for me,' Yuki said, pulling back to meet Kyo's gaze. 'You have suffered for years with your memories, while mine have been nothing but a void.' He stroked Kyo's jaw. 'You have suffered by my very hand, by my words.'

'And I would do it all again to prevent Akito from hurting you,' Kyo said.

Yuki's expression darkened.

'She will still find ways to hurt me, even if I am not locked up in a private room,' he said.

Kyo knew that he was right. He sighed, knowing that there was no way they would be able to agree, one way or the other.

'I think . . . we have to fight today - both of us trying our hardest,' he said. 'There is no way around it. If we don't fight today, Akito will . . . do something,' he finished lamely, but he knew Yuki would understand that anything Akito did would be ten times worse than the damage their fight would inflict.

Yuki frowned, clearly not happy with the idea. Nevertheless, he seemed to agree with Kyo's way of thinking.

'If we both fight our hardest, then our fate will be decided for us,' the rat said slowly.

'Oh, Yuki!'

Unable to contain himself any longer, Kyo grabbed Yuki's collar and pulled the rat towards him, pressing their lips together in a hard kiss. He moved his mouth against his cousin's, coaxing him to open his mouth. Yuki hesitantly did so and the redhead's tongue delved inside, exploring the familiar cavern. He was surprised when Yuki responded with equal fervour; their tongues danced the age old dance of love.

Yuki pushed him gently against the wall, using the leverage to press their lips so firmly together that it was almost bruising. His arms were braced on either side of Kyo's head; barely an inch separated them.

Kyo relished in the rough passion of the other teen. He could feel Yuki's desire against his own and he purposefully swivelled to hips, causing Yuki to moan into his mouth. Kyo grabbed Yuki's waist and guided him so that their positions were reversed. He smiled against Yuki's mouth when the latter's leg circled around his hips, opening himself to him. He slid one arm under Yuki's shirt and behind his lower back to crush their bodies together; he could feel the rat's strong back muscles against his forearm and yearned for more skin on skin contact with him. His other arm held Yuki's thigh, holding the leg in place as he grinded against him.

Yuki's hands were gripping Kyo's hair, holding the latter's head in place. His body remembered what his mind could not. He remembered the passion, the love . . .

'Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun!' someone called from inside the house.

All too soon, the two teens broke apart, both of them breathing heavily.

'Yuki! Kyo!' the voice called again more insistently. 'Come inside. It's time.'

With one last longing look at Kyo, Yuki left, straightening his rumpled clothes as he went.

Kyo sadly watched him go.

##

Yuki was breathing heavily as he attempted to grab Kyo by the shirt. The fight had been going on for over an hour! It was the longest battle that he and Kyo had ever engaged in. He was surprised that neither of them had gotten any broken bones yet. Yuki ducked below Kyo's blow and sprinted towards the wall of the courtyard. He could hear the cat giving chase, exactly as he expected. When Yuki reached the wall, he ran up vertically for a couple of steps; he bent his legs and suddenly straightened them again so that he was propelling horizontally towards Kyo with his fists above his head.

Kyo groaned when the fists made abrupt contact with his stomach. He stumbled backwards, coughing up blood.

'Kyo-kun!' Kagura gasped worriedly.

From the corner of his eye, Yuki saw the boar with her hands over her mouth; her eyes were shining with tears.

The only thing that prevented Kagura from rushing to Kyo's rescue was the same thing that prevented the others from ceasing the battle - Akito's stern orders. None of the cursed ones were allowed to defy God. Ever.

'Argh!' he cried out when Kyo punched him in the jaw.

He hastily jumped away to avoid more blows. After he was able to gather his thoughts again, he darted forwards to grab Kyo's shirt again. This time, he was successful. He pulled the shirt downwards, forcing Kyo to bend down; then he struck the cat in the face.

Kyo shouted incoherently when his already bruised face was hit. He shoved himself away from Yuki, ripping his shirt in the process.

Before Yuki even had time to think, Kyo raced forwards, grabbing his arm with one hand and beating the joint with his other hand.

Yuki screamed when he heard a snapping sound - his arm was broken.

"So much for no broken bones," he thought darkly.

He kicked the other teen forcefully to break his hold and backed away until there was an acceptable distance between them.

'Yuki-kun!' someone called out anxiously, but he ignored them.

The two teens circled each other, trying to determine what the other's next move would be.

Yuki could feel his face throbbing from his injuries. His muscles, too, were aching in protest, but he ignored them as best as he could. Although he was treading on grass, gravel cracked under his feet, having been swept from the path to the lawn during their brawl.

Kyo was panting, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. He irritably pulled off the remnants of his shirt and cast them away, revealing his heaving, sweaty torso.

The other Juunishi were sitting at the edge of the battle, on the porch with Akito. Hatsuharu the ox, Kisa the tiger, Momiji the rabbit, Hatori the dragon, Ayame the snake, Rin the horse, Hiro the ram, Ritsu the monkey, Kureno the rooster, Shigure the dog, and Kagura the boar - they were all there. It was one of the rare times that the Juunishi were all together outside of New Year's.

Yuki felt his heart ache for the young ones. They should not have to be forced to witness their cousins engaging in such brutality, but Akito's instructions had been very clear that all the Juunishi were to attend.

Suddenly, Kyo dashed forward in an attempt to tackle Yuki, but Yuki hastily braced his feet against the ground and back-flipped over the cat. As he was coming down, he smashed his elbow into the back of Kyo's neck.

The redhead collapsed to the ground.

He did not get up.

Yuki braced his feet against the ground and leaned low, assuming a low warrior stance. Gathering his last ounce of strength, he pulled his unbroken arm back to deliver the final blow; he was too tired to even make a fist. Not a moment later, the heel of his bruised hand sped forwards towards Kyo . . . but the cat's hand suddenly shot up to deflect his blow. Yuki froze, staring at the position their hands were in. With uncanny precision, Kyo's fingers were entwined around his so that their hands were folded together.

Kyo's entire body was shaking. He tried to stand up, using his grip on Yuki's hand as leverage, but he only managed bring himself up into a fragile crawling position.

Through connection at their hands, Yuki could feel the amount of effort that Kyo was exerting to stay up at all.

The redhead's face slowly turned upwards so that their gazes met.

The rat looked past all of the wounds to see the boy within - after all, that's all he way. A boy. They both were, yet they were being forced to fight each other for the amusement of their . . .

"God," Yuki thought with distaste. "But Akito is no God."

Kyo opened his mouth, as if he was trying to speak.

Yuki lowered his ear next to him.

'I . . . love . . . you . . . my . . . prince . . .' he said weakly before he hung his head again, his sweaty hair sticking to his forehead.

Something stirred at the back of Yuki's mind. It was not a memory exactly - more like the whisper of one, a dialogue that was heard over a vast distance.

'"I love you, too,"' he quoted with a faraway gaze; he continued, quoting both himself and Kyo without really realizing what he was saying.

'"I can't help but love you. You do not discriminate against me because I'm the cat."

'"You are there for me when I have no one else to turn to."

'"You accept me for who I am."

'"You complete me."

'"I'm nothing without you."'

With great effort, Kyo raised his head again to gaze upon his former lover; his eyes could not help but betray the hope he felt within.

Yuki fell to his knees with the same faraway look in his eyes. Their linked hands lowered as he did, but did not disconnect.

'Yuki, what is going on?' Akito demanded.

Yuki did not reply.

'Finish him . . . _NOW_!' Akito screamed maniacally.

'No,' the rat said firmly, drawing a gasp of shock from the watching Juunishi.

But they should not have been so surprised.

After all, this was not the first time the rat fell in love with the cat

##

_God invited all the animals to a great banquet the next day and told them to be sure not to be late. As the animals were going home after the announcement, the rat overhead the dog and the snake planning a cruel trick on the cat, which would be sure to embarrass and shame him in front of God. The rat, who harboured feelings for the poor victim, told his friend that cat that the banquet was the day after tomorrow to spare him the humiliation._

_The next day, all the animals gathered and lined up and entered into the great feast, the rat riding on the ox's back at the very front of the line to keep an eye on the dog and snake and attempt to tell God of their trickery. Unfortunately, the rat never had the opportunity to speak privately with God._

_In the meantime, the cat was still sleeping, dreaming of a banquet the next day that did not exist._

##

The End.


End file.
